As of Saturday, Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, 66—who previously served as head of the Vatican’s highest court (making him the highest-ranking American in the Vatican)—has been downgraded to a ceremonial position of chaplain for the Knights of Malta, a charity group. Thankfully, he now holds little responsibility and has a much smaller figurative megaphone.
With Burke’s uber-conservative views on abortion, same-sex marriage, and feminism it’s clear why our open-minded Pope removed him from his position of power. But Burke didn’t step from his pulpit without a little kicking and screaming: Everything from how the church has been “over-feminized” to the woes of how little boys don’t like to play with little girls. Turns out we’ve ruined everything, ladies.
“Unfortunately, the radical feminist movement strongly influenced the Church,” Cardinal Burke complained, “leading the Church to constantly address women’s issues at the expense of addressing critical issues important to men; the importance of the father, whether in the union of marriage or not; the importance of a father to children; the importance of fatherhood for priests; the critical impact of a manly character; the emphasis on the particular gifts that God gives to men for the good of the whole society.”
In this interview with The New Emangelism—yep, that is actually the name of the publication—Burke explained how the church has taken a “fluffy,” womanly attitude toward sexuality, stating that all of this has led to “poorly formed men,” and an abundance of pornography and homosexuality (gasp!).
What is most disturbing may not be what he says (sticks and stones, ya know?) but what he has actually done: During his Cardinal-ship in St. Louis from 2003 to 2008, Burke was actively importing predator priests into his diocese from other areas in order to protect them from investigation. According to the clergy sex-abuse survivor advocacy group SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) he was “reckless, deceptive, and callous regarding predator priests, vulnerable kids and wounded victims” during his tenure.
Burke publicly challenged Pope Francis and his tolerant approach when it comes to LGBT relations, at which point, the Pope graciously waved a #ByeRaymond his direction.
Watch this Rachel Maddow clip to get a complete overview of the idiocy of Raymond Burke.
Image c/p stlouisreview.com
