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A lone-wolf prelate is howling support for the Equality Act — in opposition to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, or USCCB.
Lexington bishop John Stowe pushed for the legislation in a recent letter to the highest-ranking members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Bishop Stowe wrote, “As a Catholic bishop, I hate to see any form of harmful discrimination protected by law, and it is consistent with our teaching to ensure that LGBTQ people have the protection they need.”
Bp. Stowe:
Greetings of peace and all good to our brothers and sisters in the LGBT Catholic community. I want you to know how much I admire your journey of faith and your journey to integrity and authenticity. I know that very often it’s a struggle, and I admire your perseverence to remain faithful to your Catholic identity and to be faithful to who you are.
Stowe sent his letter after the USCCB published a statement decrying the bill.
USCCB: “Rather than affirm human dignity in ways that meaningfully exceed existing practical protections, the Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith.”
The bishops explained the legislation is fundamentally flawed for treating gender as a social construct. They note it’s one thing to have compassion for human weakness, but another to embrace ideologies that try to “sunder what are inseparable aspects of reality.”
But Stowe is on a very different page, and has been throughout his tenure.
Bp. Stowe:
I’m happy to greet you during this Pride month, and happy to say a word of gratitude to you for the way that you’ve strived to integrate your faith and your identities as people of God — as children of God. I’m sorry that the Church has not been as welcoming as it should be in many cases.
Stowe sent his letter on behalf of the Equality Act on March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph.
That same day, St. Joseph was entrusted with the nation in an event at his shrine in Wisconsin, where one renowned expert on spiritual warfare and exorcism explained the saint’s title, “terror of demons.”
Fr. Chad Ripperger:
St. Joseph is the perfect example of masculinity. He’s the perfect example of a spouse, as a husband. He is the perfect example of a father. And as a result of that — because he was preeminent in his masculinity, the demons, which encourage effeminacy in men, fear him.
Saint Joseph is depicted in art with a lily, a flower representing innocence, purity and humility.
Rather than uphold St. Joseph’s symbolic lily, Bp. Stowe is pushing lawmakers to enshrine into law a legislative weed.
