Despite the?conciliatory words and gestures toward homosexuals by Pope Francis since he assumed the papacy in 2013, apparently not all of the Catholic Church’s cardinals have gotten the message to dial back the hateful rhetoric.
American Cardinal Raymond Burke, who has already been demoted by the Pope for his extremist stance on the issues of homosexuality and Catholics who remarry, once again decided he would spread some more vitriol while speaking to the conservative LifeSiteNews earlier this week. Burke began by stating his belief that the church should deny communion to Catholics who are gay or have remarried. He continued along this line by saying:
“People are claiming now, for instance, that the Church has changed her teaching with regard to sexual relations outside of marriage, with regard to the intrinsic evil of homosexual acts. Or people who are within irregular matrimonial unions are demanding to receive Holy Communion, claiming that this is the will of the Holy Father. And we have astounding situations, like the declarations of the bishop of Antwerp with regard to homosexual acts, which go undisciplined, and so we can see that this confusion is spreading, really, in an alarming way.”
Burke was then asked specifically if:
?’Faithful’ homosexuals, ‘remarried’ divorcees and non-married couples show qualities of self-sacrifice, generosity and dedication that (their ways) cannot be ignored.”
The Cardinal, having apparently never bothered to read the New Testament and the teachings of Christ, spat out this poison in response:
“If you are living publicly in a state of mortal sin there isn’t any good act that you can perform that justifies that situation: the person remains in grave sin. We believe that God created everyone good, and that God wants the salvation of all men, but that can only come about by conversion of life. And so we have to call people who are living in these gravely sinful situations to conversion. And to give the impression that somehow there’s something good about living in a state of grave sin is simply contrary to what the Church has always and?and everywhere taught.?It’s like the person who murders someone and yet is kind to other people.”
Perhaps Cardinal Burke would be happiest if the Church convened a 21st Century Inquisition and began burning heretics at the stake. Do you suppose that would satisfy him? Probably not.
Pope Francis may need to send a message to Burke and let him know it’s way past time for him to retire.
