Chicago Cardinal Defends His Anti-Gay Remarks

Rather than apologizing for a highly criticized remark comparing gay rights organizations to the Ku Klux Klan, a major prelate in the Catholic Church appeared to be justifying the incendiary statement.

Last week, EDGE reported in a Dec. 22 article that Chicago Cardinal Francis George made a statement on the city's Fox News station that compared gays to the Klu Klux Klan. George recently released a statement that defends his anti-gay remarks.

The 2012 Chicago Gay Pride Parade was rerouted in order to reduce traffic and crowd congestion. In the new route, the parade will pass by Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church during a time of worship. The change upset Cardinal Francis George, which prompted him to make his statements on Fox Chicago.

"You don't want the gay liberation movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism," he said.

In a statement released on Dec. 27, George explains why he compared the K.K.K. to gays.

"The organizers invited an obvious comparison to other groups who have historically attempted to stifle the religious freedom of the Catholic Church," George says in the statement.

"One such organization is the Ku Klux Klan which, well into the 1940's, paraded through American cities not only to interfere with Catholic worship but also to demonstrate that Catholics stand outside of the American consensus. It is not a precedent anyone should want to emulate."

The statement goes on to say that even though the LGBT community has been "harassed and subjected to psychological and even physical harm," the pride parade can be held without interfering with the "orderly public worship of God in a country that claims to be free."

"I am grateful that all parties concerned resolved this problem by moving the Parade's start time so as not to conflict with the celebration of Mass that Sunday," he concludes.