Supposedly "devout Catholic" President Joe Biden has long been puzzling and outraging many when it comes to his stances promoting abortion and the LGBT agenda in violation of Church teaching. Just as Biden is causing a scandal and leading other Catholics astray, so is the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, DC, a church which Biden has attended.
As Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported, the church's "Pride Mass" took place last Wednesday. It was the third annual Mass of its kind. This year, about 250 people attended the Jesuit-run church for such a Mass. The Jesuits are known for being particularly liberal.
Miniature Progress Pride flags were made available to attendees, and the program similarly bore an image of that flag.
CNA reporter Peter Pinedo, who provided coverage for the outlet, was present at the Mass which he said was "heavily attended." Ice cream was served afterwards, though attendees were guided to exit through a side door.
DC "Pride Mass" at @holytrinitydc @WashArchdiocese heavily attended with organizers estimating 250 people. "Here at Holy Trinity all are welcome," said ministry leader Ernest Raskauskas. pic.twitter.com/CVxGbM4DbN
— Peter Pinedo (@Pete_Pinedo) June 15, 2023
In addition to protesters on the scene, Anna Katherine Howell, described as a "Catholic convert who struggles with same-sex attraction," led the call to have the Mass canceled. "'Pride' events sponsored and/or attended by Catholics are contrary to Catholic teaching, give scandal, and actually do harm to faithful, chaste Catholics with same-sex attraction who do not wish to celebrate or be identified by their worst impulses or past sins," she said as part of her statement condemning such events.
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The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman and that homosexual acts are sinful, as they are "contrary to the natural law" and "close the sexual act to the gift of life." Those with same-sex attraction are called to life a chaste lifestyle.
Howell also emphasized a need for "charity and clarity" on the issue.
@RCAnnaKate said what's needed in the Church now is not pandering to LGBTQ+ ideology but instead "charity and clarity" on God's teaching.
— Peter Pinedo (@Pete_Pinedo) June 15, 2023
Wilton Cardinal Gregory of the archdiocese of Washington did not address the Pride Mass or respond to requests for comment out calls to cancel it. Neither did the archdiocese as a whole.
Mary Margaret Olohan of The Daily Signal also provided insight on the archdiocese's lack of response on this, and other controversial matters:
Asked if the archdiocese supports the [Pride] Mass, Paula Gwynn Grant, secretary of communications for the Archdiocese of Washington, pointed The Daily Signal to “our Holy Trinity parish website.” She would not return further requests for comment regarding the “Pride Mass,” which is scheduled to take place Wednesday evening in Georgetown.
This is not the first time that Holy Trinity Catholic Church has made headlines. The parish, which advertises its LGBTQIA+ Ministry on its website, announced in June 2021 it would not deny anyone the Holy Eucharist at Mass as bishops discussed whether Biden, who heads the most pro-abortion administration in U.S. history, should be denied communion. Biden regularly attends the parish.
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“This Wednesday at our regularly-scheduled 5:30pm Mass, our parish will celebrate our 3rd annual LGBTQIA+ Pride Mass,” the parish said in a statement on its website. “This celebration is an expression of our parish’s mission statement TO ACCOMPANY ONE ANOTHER IN CHRIST, CELEBRATE GOD’S LOVE, AND TRANSFORM LIVES.”
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“Our LGBTQIA+ ministry is a response to the Holy Father’s call to go out to the margins,” the statement continues. “Our celebration of Pride is not celebrating personal vanity, but the human dignity of a group of people who have been for too long the objects of violence, bullying and harassment. Our parish reaches out to LGBTQIA+ people as it reaches out to all Catholics in our area.”
Lisa Dittmeier, assistant to Pastor C. Kevin Gillespie, S.J., refused to tell The Daily Signal on Wednesday morning if the Mass was condoned by the Archdiocese of Washington. Dittmeier repeatedly said that the statement was all the parish had to say on the matter.
The parish’s reticence to address whether the archdiocese condones the Mass suggests that it is acutely aware of the politics at play.
And the archdiocese has a history of refraining from addressing pivotal questions from the press: in May 2022, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Washington accidentally told the Washington Examiner that it was ignoring press inquiries about former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had been banned from receiving Holy Communion by San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.
Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who leads the Archdiocese of Washington, similarly sparked a backlash in November 2020 when he said in an interview with a leftist Jesuit outlet, America Magazine, that he would not deny Biden communion at Mass.
Another "Pride Mass" had been scheduled to take place at Pittsburgh's Duquesne University on June 11, but was canceled after Bishop David Zubik--unliked Gregory--spoke out against the event, Pinedo also reported.
In promoting the LGBT agenda, Biden and his administration have focused on the transgender community, including children who may be experiencing gender dysphoria in particular. In his statement this year on the Transgender Day of Visibility, the president repeated a point he has made before, which is to bring God into the matter.
"I want every member of the trans community to know that we see you. You’re each made in the image of God, and deserve love, dignity, and respect. You make America stronger, and we’re with you," he closed his May 31 statement with.
This is just one more way in which Biden calls confusion, as it would suggest that God making transgender people in his "image" means He has made mistakes.
The Biden administration not only promotes irreversible procedures that involve hormone therapy and puberty blockers, as well as the health problems that come with it, but push them particularly hard on minors who cannot legally consent. Genital mutilation, the removal of healthy body parts, and sterilization may also be involved.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) also attends the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, according to CNA. She still considers herself to be a "very Catholic person," despite her vocal support for the LGBT movement and abortion. It is due to the latter especially that Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, of her hometown of San Francisco, has denied her communion.
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