The Catholic League remains steadfast in its conviction that James Hormel should not be tenured as U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg. Our position is based on Hormel’s refusal to disavow his support for the anti-Catholic group, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, not his sexual orientation. Unfortunately, his supporters have tried to skirt the anti-Catholic charge by focusing exclusively on the man’s gayness.
In the pages of the Los Angeles Times, Dianne Feinstein of California and Robert Torricelli of New Jersey chose to frame the issue this way: “Should a man be denied the opportunity to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg because he is gay?” To which we answered, “No.” But we also said that no one should be appointed to such a post if he were anti-Catholic. Similarly, an editorial in the Savannah Morning News refused to deal with the anti-Catholic charge.
Had Hormel not made a political issue of his sexual orientation in the first place, he might not have been placed in the position of offering commentary on a Gay Pride Parade that featured an anti-Catholic group. He and his supporters should deal with this issue instead of engaging in political obfuscation.
