The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement Monday slamming the Los Angeles Dodgers for choosing to honor a charitable drag group that dresses like nuns, calling the decision “blasphemy.”
The Dodgers caved to pressure last month, reversing its decision to withdraw an invitation for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to accept an award on the field of Dodger Stadium at Pride Night this Friday.
The Major League Baseball team issued an apology to the anti-Catholic charity and the LGBTQ community, promising to “better educate ourselves.” The group was also re-invited to Pride Night to accept the “Community Hero Award.”
The bishops responded Monday by urging Catholics to say a special prayer, the Litany of the Sacred Heart, on the day the team hosts the group.
“This year, on June 16—the day of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus—a professional baseball team has shockingly chosen to honor a group whose lewdness and vulgarity in mocking our Lord, His Mother, and consecrated women cannot be overstated,” their statement read. “This is not just offensive and painful to Christians everywhere; it is blasphemy.”
“It has been heartening to see so many faithful Catholics and others of good will stand up to say that what this group does is wrong, and it is wrong to honor them,” it added. “We call on Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart on June 16, offering this prayer as an act of reparation for the blasphemies against our Lord we see in our culture today.”
According to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence website, they are a “leading-edge Order of queer and trans nuns” that fundraises for AIDS/HIV prevention and other LGBTQ-related issues.
“We believe all people have a right to express their unique joy and beauty,” the website states. “We use humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit.”
The group issued a statement accepting the Dodgers’ apology after meeting with team CEO Stan Kasten and state and local lawmakers.