CHICAGO (AP) – Cardinal Francis George interrupted a protest against the war in Iraq Sunday at Holy Name Cathedral by quietly giving an Easter homily, disrupting the important message of peace being delivered by the protesters.
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Three male and three female protesters vainly attempted to cogently argue the wrongness of the war by squirting fake blood on themselves and parishioners, but many fear the message may have been lost due to Cardinal George’s obstructive scripture reading.
One protest attendee, Mike Wainscott of Chicago, yelled at the Cardinal.
“Are you happy with yourself?” he said. “There were kids in there! How can they learn war is wrong if you won’t let them get splattered with a mixture of corn syrup and red food coloring? Are you happy now?”
Speaking afterward, the leader of the protesters, Ryane J. Ziemba, said, “We should all work for peace, but not by interrupting my petulant screeching about a war that doesn’t affect me personally, since I, you know, never volunteered to serve in the Armed Forces.”
Cardinal George said he was a member of a group calling itself “The Catholic Church”, which issued a statement after the arrest, saying the intrusive sermon was staged “to reach both Holy Name’s large anti-war audience – including Chicago’s most prominent peacenik and hippie citizens, who commonly attend the church strictly to show opposition to the war in Iraq – and the many more viewers and readers of the local press, which don’t give a crap about Christianity except on Christmas and Easter.”
Kevin Clark of International Solidarity Movement told the Chicago Tribune that he attended to serve as a witness for the protesters and see to it that Cardinal George was prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for interrupting them.
“If Cardinal George is a man of peace and is walking the walk and talking the talk, he should have confronted George Bush and demanded an immediate end to the war,” Clark said. “Or at least held up a ‘Bush=Hitler’ sign to make up for wasting everyone’s time blathering on about the 9th Commandment.”
It is simply shameful that the Chicago diocese has elevated a religious zealot to such high office.
I have heard Cardinal George speak before and really does take things like Easter services seriously. He actually believes that the Catholic Church is the only way to salvation. Outrageous!
I can only hope that the attendees remembered their history and “went inquisition” on those douchebags.
It takes great courage to stand up for one’s beliefs in the face of such opposition as a room full of people who largely agree with you. And the extreme ferocity of the highly trained Mass attendee is well known. These protesters were taking their social schedule into their own hands: they might not be invited to tea at the Cardinal’s for weeks!
The horror of what they went through for their cause is inspiring. To face the certain casting of annoyed glances by people they didn’t even know required a depth of character few can fathom. Why, someone might say something!
If you can’t admire their lunacy, at least admire their poor timing.
The Papists have never like the Protest ants.
The Papists have never liked the Protest ants.
(I ruined by own joke with a typo! Dang.)
Heh, I read “9th Commandment” and thought “9th Amendment”. I was wondering what that had to do with anything. Makes much more sense your way.
It really annoys me that the news media gives these protesters what they want by reporting exactly what they are trying to protest. The fact that a bunch of losers thought it was a good idea to interrupt Easter mass is news. Publicizing them only gives them what they want and encourages them.
The news should report that protesters interrupted Easter mass at Holy Name, screamed, poured fake blood, were escorted from the church, and bumped their heads fifteen or sixteen times while being placed in squad cars outside. (Hippies are so clumsy.)
Ahem, for the record:
1. I am the Lord thy God, have no other gods before me.
2. Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain.
3. Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.
4. Honor your father and mother.
5. Don’t murder.
6. Don’t commit adultery.
7. Don’t steal.
8. Don’t lie.
9. Don’t covet your neighbor’s stuff.
10. Don’t covet your neighbor’s wife.
Isn’t #8 “Don’t bear false witness against your neighbor” and not “Don’t lie”.
Cuz I gotta tell you, I don’t think God is that much of a hard ass.
Because if you can’t lie, well, how are you supposed to answer this question, “Does this dress make me look fat?”?
There’s being pious and saintly and then there’s being stupid and suicidal.
I agree, Veeshir. God would not permit such harsh treatment of women. “Honey, you look fine” is false but Godly.
Did you see the mug pic of the white kid, Ryane, looks like someone decided to insert their foot into his mouth. Not enough in my opinion.
Of course with a name like Ryane, that could explain his anger and anguish towards the world. His parents must have really wanted a daughter and then he came along and they stuck with the name.
#11 – Unfortunately I believe that was some of the stage blood the idgits were flinging around rather than the idgits blood.
If it was his blood, the stories would be reading peaceful protester beaten by McChimpyBushHitler clones during Easter Mass.
Since these characters have harassed the good people of Holy Name church I think now would be a good time to slap a restraining order on them. They shouldn’t be able to come with in 100 ft. of a Christian or a church or anyone who believes in anything greater than themselves. That ought to permanently house bound them.
Of course this was a wonderful teaching opportunity for parents. They had the perfect occasion to point out the selfish, egotistical, inappropriate, self centered, horrible example set by the left wing, liberal, loony, leaches.
I’m telling you right now, I would have used it, and have in fact used other incidences like it to raise 5 little Alex P. Keatons. While they don’t have pictures of Mr. Reagan on their walls they do speak his name with reverence and respect — as they should.
Badmartin – duly noted.
I actually agonized a bit about that line, and a quick check of Wikipedia showed some ambiguity amongst various faiths:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#Division_of_the_Commandments
However, 3 out of 4 called it #9, so that’s what I went with.
No offense intended to those who think of it as #8.
THIEF!!!
http://conservathink.blogspot.com/2006/11/riots-marred-by-release-of-playstation.html
Save a tree! Burn a heretic!
Why were they arrested…were they flame retardent?
You know I’m ashamed of myself. I didn’t think of his earlier.
This whole episode just goes to show you how, patient, kind, loving, forgiving and flat out awesome Jesus is. If this had happened to any other deity these people might have been toasted if not by the deity than for sure by his followers.
See, Jesus IS all that and a bag of chips.
“war that doesn’t affect me personally”
This point is not made anywhere near often enough.