You can't even argue that the "Church didn't know" - this event was advertised like this (relatively tasteful, actually), and even Lifesite admits that the Church knew what was happening:
According to parishioner Lonney D'Agostini, newly installed Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith was informed of the event by himself and several other parishioners six days prior to the brunch. D'agostini told LifeSiteNews.com that "the bishop said that he did not want any visible protest but that we were free to pray for those people (the homosexuals)."
Now, what starts to get amusing is the facts that Lifesite reports (impressively) and then tries to squirm around:
The building encompasses a Catholic Church and the St. Andrew's Centre, a senior's independent living centre.
Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel hosted the "Mayor's Pride Brunch" which took place in the banquet facilities of the centre which lies in very close proximity to the 24-hour Eucharistic adoration chapel.
Okay, let's consider this for a moment - it is a banquet hall, one that is presumably available for rentals, and rented by the Edmonton Pride organizers. One might think that the Church could have easily refused the rental if it was a big issue.
But, reality isn't so simple, is it?
The St. Andrew's Centre, while being partially a public building, has as its primary shareholder and owner the Archbishop of Edmonton.
Oh ... so it's not entirely a "Catholic Centre", but rather it is a facility where the public has a stake as well. Sort of changes the picture a little, doesn't it? Of course, Lifesite raises the Knights of Columbus case as some kind of bogeyman that inhibited the Church from cancelling the booking:
The Centre was hesitant to cancel the event because of possible legal repercussions involved in canceling a contract. The management admits, however, that the brunch was a mistake. Mark Barylo, Senior Manager in charge of St. Andrew's Centre, told LifeSiteNews.com, "In booking the event, Centre staff didn't ask all the appropriate questions for this particular event. As a result, the centre is going to review its policies and procedures when it comes to booking outside groups into the Centre. We are going to try our best to ensure that this situation doesn't arise again."
Booked as the "Mayor's Pride Brunch," the event may have escaped detection as a gathering of homosexual activists.
Oh please. What a bunch of Drama Queens.
Lifesite reports that Whatcott received the following treatment:
One such Catholic is Mayoral candidate Bill Whatcott who happened to be at Mass Sunday and was outraged by what he saw taking place. Whatcott told LifeSiteNews.com he was dragged off Catholic Church property and told not to return by two Edmonton plainclothes policemen after he entered the hall and vocally protested the brunch as it was taking place.
A little digging, and we find Whatcott's insane rantings over at FreeDominion:
Apparently the sodo,mites used deception to rent the banquet room and they obviously expected confrontation as they posted two Edmonton Police Service plain clothes officers at the door of my church's banquet room.
Ummm...no Bill, we already know that it was booked (and advertised) quite openly ... even Lifesite admits that.
Anyways I decided if they really wanted a brunch there than some good preaching and meal disruption was in order. So I marched in and called on the sodo,mites to repent and get right with Almighty God. I lasted for about 4 seconds and the two cops grabbed me by my arms and physically dragged me out of my church and on to the public sidewalk before they let me go.
Uh huh. You walked into a private function (tickets were required), chose to disrupt it with your particular brand of "Christianity", and then you are surprised when the event's organizers have you removed??? If the logic wasn't so pathetically flaccid, it might almost pass for comedy.
They warned me if I set foot on my church's property again I would be arrested and charged with tresspassing. I told them homosexuality is an abomination and contrary to my church's moral teachings. I also told them I am a Catholic and this is my church. The police wen't back to the sodomfest taking place in my church hall. I went to the Sanctuary tried to pray and got more mad. I called a Lutheran pastor friend of mine and told him what happened and said I wanted to go back in to the homo pride brunch and get arrested.
The man's a raving loon. Of that, there can be no doubt. You can practically see the spittle flecks peppering his screen as he wrote out his indignation. In response to being told not to trespass, he talks about abomination? WTF? Meh, whatever.
I forecast that Edmonton's mayoral race this fall will be filled with wingnutty goodness in all of its insanity.
4 comments:
It never ceases to amaze me what people think they can get away with by attaching the god tag to their credentials. If they truly believed in what they were preaching, ie the bible being the literal word of god, they would go after a lot more than gays, but all it really is is a quasi legal method to gay bash. I doubt most of them could even read the bible and understand it, let alone apply it to reality. It's far easier to pick the easy targets (so the christians assume, but they are being shown their asses on a plate in this country) and forget the rest. Whatcott was clearly shown that his brand of religion is not welcome in this country and he really ought to get a life and stop worrying about those sodo,mites. To top it all off, speaking for god: if god exists and he could speak, I'm sure he would bitch slap these loons and tell them he can speak for himself thank you.
I was at the Mayor's Pride Brunch, but the EPS officers had Bill Wartcott removed so quickly and quietly, I didn't see his pathetic little performance. However, when we left the event, there were 5 or 6 gentlemen sitting in the lobby playing with their rosaries as some form of silent protest.
It refected well on the majority of the Catholic community for the way the St. Andrew's Center hosted the event. The food was excellent and the service was efficient and courteous.
I want to remind everyone that the majority of Edmonton's Catholics do no subscribe to the hateful and bigoted view of some of their nasti leaders. It has been my experience that many Catholics support gay equality, and even gay marriage. They are quietly working from within to achieve reforms.
Perhaps we should have pity on poor demented Bill Wartcott. I think his anal warts have spread up his spinal cord and taken over his brain. He only serves as a reminder of why Camp fYrefly (Canada's only gay and lesbian yourth summer camp)is so important and why we still need Pride Parades, Queer activism, and better Hate Crimes laws.
I thank Mayor Mandel, Police Chief Boyd, the EPS officers, the St. Andrew's Centre and everyone who came out to support Camp Fyrefly. I wonder how my life would have changed if there had been a gay & lesbian youth summer camp when I was a teen!
Isn't it funny? Our fabulous Gay city councilor Michael Phair has been using the St. Andrew's centre for his fundraising brunches for years. Us Fags don't discriminate. Why should they?
Just a point of clarification: Whatcott is a unique form of loon, and should not be construed as representative of the greater body of the Edmonton Catholic community.
On the other hand, he's so far out there, he's worth paying attention to - for comic value at least.
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