The following comes from a Feb. 27 posting on the Los Angeles Loyolan.
The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) staged a picket outside the back entrance of LMU on the morning of Monday, Feb. 25. The WBC is a church based in Topeka, KS and is infamous for its public criticism of the LGBTQ+ community, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, U.S. soldiers and other groups they deem sinful.
The church traveled to California with the main goal of protesting the Oscars. Big events like that are considered “anchor events,” as the WBC also protests at local colleges and high schools while in a given area.
“This university really isn’t any different than any other university in this nation,” Timothy Phelps, a member of the WBC, said. “The youth of this generation has been taught since they were infants that the laws of God almighty are at best negotiable and more likely nonexistent, and that God himself doesn’t exist. So each successive generation becomes more and more perverse.”
Prior to their protest at LMU, the WBC posted a digital flyer online to advertise the event. The flyer was laced with anti-Catholic rhetoric and imagery mocking homosexuality.
Following this, the University sent out a community advisory in the student edition of LMU This Week. The advisory warned of the WBC’s tactics, describing them as having the intent to “generate attention by inciting reactions and counter-protesters to advance their cause.”
This caution toward holding a counter-protest was echoed by Dr. Lane Bove, the vice president of Student Affairs. Bove said that she firmly believes in the first amendment and supports the right to civilly protest against a group such as the WBC. However, she described holding a counter-protest as unwise given the nature of the WBC.
Here’s a mind-twister. Who perverts the Gospel more? WBC or LMU? They both profoundly do in very different ways.
Hard to figure out, too, which is more annoying — the Westboro Baptist Church or the Black Hebrew Israelites who were harassing the Native American Indians before they both decided to harass Sandman and the teenage pro lifers with the MAGA hats.
Got to loooooove America; we get all the weirdos.
As aggressively weird as WBC is, LMU represents the many “Catholic” universities that redrew their charger around the Cardinal McCarrick authored Land O’ Lakes Agreement. The fruits of secularization that that agreement made is an outrage to make any lover of the grand tradition of real Catholic higher education in America cry out to the sky in rage.
I understand, but one does not go to funerals, as the WBC does, and make an fool of oneself. If we knew the family and think the person was living badly, and the funeral oratory will encourage bad behavior, it is better to just send a condolence card, pray for the soul of the deceased and leave it at that: otherwise stay away entirely.
I do not know who authored the Land of Lakes Agreement, though. Perhaps people can look that up on the Cardinal Newman Society website.
LMU is a fake Catholic university.
great question Fr. Michael
just one observation:
WBC never had the fullness of truth
can LMU claim the same “excuse?”
I’ve met this gang in person. Many years ago I was stationed in West Los Angeles at a Parish. I heard that they were going to protest a funeral for a gay man at a Pentecostal Church not far from our parish. It slipped my mind until I was driving by the place. I parked and got out of my car. It was ugly. They were saying hateful things and there was a crowd of angry people (angry at WBC) around them. I looked at one of the WBC women in the eye and said: “This isn’t what Jesus wants from you.” She looked furious. I turned to the crowd and said: “Let’s sing!” I grew up Methodist, so I sang “Faith of Our Fathers”. A lot of folks joined in. The WBC folks weren’t pleased.
Anger is contagious.
I remember seeing WBC people picketing the motorcade at Bob Hope’s funeral.
Question for San Carlos: You state that the Land O’ Lakes Agreement was authored by Theodore McCarrick. True, McCarrick was one of twenty six signers, ten of whom were Jesuits and seven who were members of the Congregation of the Holy Cross.
But do you have any evidence that McCarrick ” authored” the document?