Jeff Gatlain, a Catholic priest in KY, goes public in his criticisms of Bill Donohue on C&L. I asked for someone in the Catholic community to speak out against his violent hate speech after his attacks of "Cavallaro" on Anderson Cooper last week and Jeff came forward. That's a big step for him to take.
"As a Christian, a Catholic Priest, I stand in opposition to any and all hateful speech used by anyone, especially when they do so in the name of Jesus. I do not believe that one can claim to be a disciple of Jesus and at the same time deride, mock, insult, or threaten violence against another person. Mr. Donohue clearly makes hateful remarks as well as violent comments towards Mr. Cavallaro and as such he insults God, his fellow Catholics and humanity for that point.
Proclaiming the Salvation of Jesus means that we are to refrain from such vile speech. One cannot preach the love of Jesus while cursing one's neighbor. The two cannot co-exist. To continually use hateful, crude, violent language is indicative of what dwells within one's heart. Mr. Donohue speaks only for himself and not the Catholic Church."
Would that quote be okay? I am a pretty low key person and I strive to be a force of unity and healing in the parishes I serve. I just do not want to become yet another screaming voice like Mr. Donohue.
Jeff started a blog of his own...Thank you for speaking out...