Fr. James Martin SJ reacted to a major U.S. Supreme Court religious liberty case pitting so-called homosexual rights against a Catholic adoption agency’s conscience rights, siding with LGBT activists and a host of far-left organizations.
When court observers yesterday suggested that a majority of the nine justices had signaled they would rule in favor of the Catholic child welfare agency, Martin lamented that choosing not to place foster kids with homosexual couples is “homophobia.”
“Religious liberty should not be used as a cover for homophobia,” Martin tweeted.
The Jesuit then went on to repeat his usual argument, suggesting that “‘religious liberty’ exemptions are focused only on LGBT people and the only ‘church teaching’ that seems to matter has to do with same-sex marriage.”
“Do Catholic adoption agencies also seek to exclude couples who are Jewish or Protestant?” he asked. “They too are not ‘following church teaching,’ in one case by not believing in Jesus. Why focus only on same-sex couples?”
Martin continued in a string of subsequent Tweets:
To be clear: Catholic institutions and agencies have the right to require their employees to follow church teachings, and the right to decide whom they serve and under what conditions. But increasingly “religious liberty” exemptions are focused only on LGBT people and the only “church teaching” that seems to matter has to do with same-sex marriage. There are many other important church teachings that adoptive couples are probably not following, and there is no exemption sought by Catholic social service agencies.
The same selectivity applies when LGBT employees are fired for not “supporting or conveying church teaching” (in the words of one archdiocese). Yet many church employees do not “support or convey church teaching,” in other areas, and are not similarly targeted or fired.
As a thought exercise: When it comes to adoptions, why don’t Catholic agencies seek a legal exemption so as not to be required to place children with Jewish couples? I am not arguing for that at all, just pointing out the inconsistency in the application of ‘church teaching.’
It raises the question: Is believing in Jesus Christ not as an important a value [sic] for families? No, increasingly the only “religious liberty” issue in these cases seems to be the freedom to target, exclude and discriminate against LGBT people, whether in employment or adoption.
This selectivity of application of “church teaching” seems clearly discriminatory.
Martin’s statement firmly plants him in the same camp as a few dozen secular far-left organizations supporting the City of Philadelphia against Catholic Social Services, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, the National LGBTQ Task Force, the National Organization for Women Foundation, the Feminist Majority Foundation, and the AFL-CIO.
“If we are honest about what is really going on here, it’s not about ensuring that same-sex couples in Philadelphia have the opportunity to be foster parents,” observed conservative Justice Samuel Alito, during yesterday’s oral arguments concerning Fulton v. Philadelphia.
“It’s the fact the city can’t stand the message that Catholic Social Services and the Archdiocese are sending by continuing to adhere to the old-fashioned view about marriage,” asserted Alito….
The above comes from a Nov. 5 story on LifeSiteNews.
Complain all you want about Fr. Martin being a heretic, but God doesn’t seem to mind that Fr. Martin says and does what he does. God would have taken care of him long ago if he did. So why the heck should I bother sticking my neck out for true Catholicism anymore if people like Fr. Martin and even the pope won’t be reigned in by God?
The Church teaches that to intentionally deprive a child of a father and mother is a form of child abuse.
Opposing such is not “homophobia.”
Let us pray and encourage all bishops, including the Pope, to clearly (re-)state the teachings of Christ and His Church.
This time of confusion is dangerous, damaging to the Church and may lead souls on a path to hell.
And, we should pray for the conversion of James Martin and the on-going conversion of all of us.
And for Fr. Martin’s edification, should he read this: there’s nothing unnatural about a Jewish opposite-sex couple but there is something unnatural about a same-sex couple. The latter is an unhealthy environment for a child because it deliberately denies a child either a mother or a father as a parent and presents same-sex relationships as good; the former is healthy as a natural family because it is a household with a mother and a father. That’s the difference. Why can’t he understand that? Or why is he deliberately obfuscating?
And why does God let him get away with it for so many, many years, leading so many people astray? I’m sick of it. Fed up with Providence.
Kevin T: Our Good Lord also allowed Judas to remain with him, in his inner circle, to the point that Judas betrayed him and started the process of our Lord’s eventual crucifixion – wherein He saved mankind. Do you also not recall the parable of the wheat and chaff? He allows evil to exist – even within His Church. We must call out the evil and actively work against it – but at the same time, we also don’t need to be like the “sons of thunder” demanding that God do things our way. Revenge is the Lord’s, not ours. Meanwhile, yes, we suffer, as do other souls…so we should offer our sufferings to him in humble confidence that the good God knows what He’s doing, even when we don’t. Please repent of being “Fed up with Providence,” your soul is in grave peril if that’s the case. Your pride has blinded you. Please edit/remove your comment and make a humble confession. Making these acts of humility will do more for the good of souls than you ever may know this side of heaven. Refusal to humble yourself will damage your soul – for eternity if you remain obstinate.
Concern for the rights of a child is called love. The only phobia involvedd is hamartophobia,fear of sinning, aka ” the fear of the Lord’s, a healthy attitude of self restraint that means fear of offending God and losing the presence of his love. A normal conscience that has not been burned like a circuit gone bad, seared”, as Paul phrases it in Romans, is in tune with the natural law. A baptized conscience know’s that God inscribed the natural law in us and is author thereof
Good grief!
Can no one in the Church discipline this pervert?
What kind of monster is fine with placing children before the sight of sodomy?
Yet Barron calls this snake a “winsome guide”! Oh please. If he’s a guide to anything, it’s to how to go to Hell.
And I’ll ask… why doesn’t God do anything about it either? The faithful are weary of evil winning, even winning in the Church.
Kevin T., God gave us the gift of Free Will! What do we do, with this great Gift?? Do we trustfully, obediently, align and submit our human wills, to God’s Will?? Mankind is weak and prone to sin! Christ died to set us free of sin, and lead our souls to Heaven! He needs our full trust, hard work, dedication, and cooperation– that is the price, on our end– for His Salvation! It’s not easy! Will we give our full selves to Him– Who gave His life for us, for our Salvation?? We all have to be strong, follow Christ, and be trustful and obedient to Him! Then, God can work through us, and bring about great things! Christianity– and our great American Democracy– have both been established and maintained, by tons of hard work, sacrifice, suffering, martyrdom, faith, blood and tears—marching steadfastly, with the banner of Christ going before us! Christians are being persecuted and martyred in many countries, around the world– they have it much worse, than we do. Will we even die, as they do– die, if we must– for love of Him, Who loved us so, and died for us?? Most of the Western world now rejects Him! And it is bound for an awful Death, in the Devil’s lying, deceitful, Jaws of Darkness, as a result!! Do we believe the deceitful lies of the Devil– or do we give our lives in trustful obedience, to Christ?? If we do– all will turn out well!
KT: “The faithful are weary of evil winning.”
Then fight harder. To fight for Christ is an honor.
KT: “why doesn’t God do anything about it either?”
Why assume He isn’t? Look at His work in secondary causes like Vigano, who’s full of fire right now. That’s a fire that comes from God. The same holds for the energy growing among the laity right now, and also the light we’ve been given to see the growing apostasy in the Church, to distinguish true shepherds (like Vigano) from false ones (like Gomez and Barron).
News Flash from Rome,
Just in: New Translation
of Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more Winsome
than any of the beasts of the earth
which the Lord God had made.
I live in an area of the country where Catholic Charities handles adoptions because other agencies won’t place children in Catholic homes.
Fr. Martin is unfit and unqualified for the Catholic priesthood. Poor St. Ignatius would roll over in his grave, at the evil Fr. Martin! Where is the concern for the safety and well-being of poor children– and for a good, honest, Christian moral upbringing for them?? A horrible and dangerous curse awaits them, from misguided and sinful adults in charge of their adoptions! I wonder if there is any way that the College of Cardinals can fix this problem– demand that the Pope either run the Church correctly– or resign, and elect a new Pope– and get rid of bad clergy, like the bad Jesuit, Fr. Martin??
Fr. Martin is complaining because Catholic institutions don’t discriminate enough. He does not want Catholic adoption agencies to place children in Jewish homes. He does not want people who use birth control to teach in Catholic schools. Fair enough!
He’s not complaining. He thinks he’s being clever by using a “whatabout” counterargument.
Anon 2, do you think a child placed with a Jewish husband and wife is the same thing as placing a child with two persons of the same-sex pretending to have a marriage and depriving a child of either a father or a mother and almost certainly engaging in what a Catholic adoption agency would see as serious sin?