Catholic priest suspended for comparing BLM to ‘maggots and parasites’
Associated Press
July 1, 2020
CARMEL, Ind. — A
bishop suspended a suburban Indianapolis Catholic priest from public
ministry on Wednesday for comparing the Black Lives Matter movement and
its organizers to “maggots and parasites” in a recent church bulletin.
Bishop
Timothy Doherty, of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, took the
action against the Rev. Theodore Rothrock, of St. Elizabeth Seton
Catholic Church in Carmel, for comments that the pastor wrote Sunday in
the weekly bulletin.
“The
only lives that matter are their own and the only power they seek is
their own,” Rothrock wrote. “They are wolves in wolves clothing, masked
thieves and bandits, seeking only to devour the life of the poor and
profit from the fear of others. They are maggots and parasites at best,
feeding off the isolation of addiction and broken families, and offering
to replace any current frustration and anxiety with more misery and
greater resentment.”
The diocese expressed “pastoral concern for the affected communities” in a statement posted on its website.
“The
suspension offers the Bishop an opportunity for pastoral discernment
for the good of the diocese and for the good of Father Rothrock. Various
possibilities for his public continuation in priestly ministry are
being considered, but he will no longer be assigned as Pastor of Our
Lady of Mt. Carmel. Deacon Bill Reid will serve as Administrator of St.
Elizabeth Seton,” the statement said.
Rothrock had been due to take over as pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel next month.
Rothrock
issued an apology Tuesday night in a message sent to parishioners and
later posted on the church’s website, The Indianapolis Star reported.
“It was not my intention to offend anyone, and I am sorry that my words have caused any hurt to anyone,” Rothrock wrote.
The church must condemn bigotry, which is “a part of the fabric of our society,” he wrote.
“We
must also be fully aware that there are those who would distort the
Gospel for their own misguided purposes,” Rothrock wrote. “People are
afraid, as I pointed out, rather poorly I would admit, that there are
those who feed on that fear to promote more fear and division.”
Doherty said Tuesday that Rothrock should issue a clarification of the bulletin comments.
The newly formed Carmel Against Racial Injustice
group sought Rothrock’s removal from leadership. The group has said it
planned to demonstrate Sunday on the sidewalk surrounding the church. It
wasn’t clear Wednesday whether Rothrock’s suspension changed that. The
group didn’t immediately reply to a message left Wednesday seeking
comment about the suspension.
EDITOR'S NOTE: I do not believe he owes anyone an apology since he spoke the truth.
2 comments:
The truth is dangerous. The truth will NOT necessarily set you free. In fact it often gets you into trouble.
Truth!
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