A Catholic nun appreciates the Dodgers’ management of the Pride Night dispute while some archbishops label it as sacrilege

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A range of religious individuals and high-profile faith leaders, including Catholic nuns, and the team’s renowned All-Star pitcher, have shared emotive responses to an event unrelated to the Dodgers’ performance on the field.

Earlier this week, three influential U.S. Catholic leaders suggested the Dodgers were guilty of blasphemy.

The Dodgers have celebrated Pride Nights for a decade. However, this year’s event, scheduled for Friday night, was mired in a significant controversy last month.

The team rescinded an invitation extended to a satirical LGBTQ+ group, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, following criticism from conservative Catholics. The group, primarily comprising men dressed in flamboyant nun attire, are known for their involvement in protests and charity work.

A week following the initial decision, and in response to a strong backlash from LGBTQ+ groups and their supporters, the Dodgers changed their stance. The Sisters’ Los Angeles chapter was re-invited to receive honor for its philanthropy, and an apology was issued to the LGBTQ+ community.

This decision to change course was welcomed by LGBTQ+ supporters, including several Catholic nuns. However, it was met with considerable opposition from conservative Catholics, even from those occupying the highest ranks within the U.S. hierarchy.

On Monday, the team was rebuked in a statement issued by Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, and Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Military Services, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ president.

They called upon Catholics to pray on Friday “in reparation for the blasphemies witnessed in our culture today.”

Official Catholic doctrine opposes same-sex marriage and sexual activity. However, many Catholics hope for the Church to exhibit greater inclusivity toward LGBTQ+ individuals. These include U.S. nuns who minister empathetically to LGBTQ+ Catholics and took notice when the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence made headlines.

Sister Jeannine Gramick, who has ministered to LGBTQ+ Catholics for over 50 years and is a co-founder of New Ways Ministry, shared a letter she wrote to the Dodgers. She approved of their decision to re-invite the drag group and suggested they deserved acknowledgment for their charity work.

In contrast, Sister Luisa Derouen, known for her outreach to transgender Catholics, expressed deep offense at the Dodgers’ decision.

Catholic bishop Robert Barron of southern Minnesota, formerly an auxiliary bishop in Los Angeles, described the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as “an anti-Catholic hate group” to his Twitter followers.

Criticism extended beyond the Catholic community. Rev. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, accused the Dodgers of “complete capitulation.”

Some religious leaders voiced their opposition to the concept of Pride Nights as a whole.

Despite the controversy, Rev. Alex Santora, presiding over an LGBTQ+-welcoming parish in Hoboken, New Jersey, supported the usefulness of Pride Nights in combating prejudice.

The Dodgers’ Pride Night controversy aligns with the recent LGBTQ+-related difficulties experienced by well-known companies such as Bud Light and Target.

Laurel Powell, a spokesperson for the largest LGBTQ+ rights organization in the country, the Human Rights Campaign, shared the encouraging view that the growing number of Pride Nights and related gestures in other economic sectors are essential signals of acceptance and value to the LGBTQ+ community.

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More about Pride Night controversy

• Dodgers Pride Night Controversy
• Archbishops’ Statement
• Catholic Nuns’ Perspectives
• LGBTQ+ Response and Backlash
• Significance of Pride Nights