Dodgers Fail To Appease Upset Catholics With Faith-Based Event

A recent controversy emerged over the Los Angeles Dodgers’ back-and-forth regarding whether to honor a troupe of drag performers known as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at an upcoming LGBT “pride” event at the team’s stadium.

The group is known for mocking the Catholic faith and religious groups were up in arms after learning that the MLB team planned to celebrate its members.

While backlash from the faith community initially caused the Dodgers to rescind the invitation, a groundswell of criticism from LGBT activists and groups ultimately prompted the franchise to re-invite the drag queens who perform in costumes mimicking nuns’ habits. The most recent reversal was accompanied by a public apology to the group.

Catholic groups spoke out against the move, including the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which wrote: “The ministries and vocations of our religious women should be honored and celebrated through genuine acts of appreciation, reverence, and respect for their sacred vows, and for all the good works of our nuns and sisters in service of the mission of the Catholic Church.”

In an apparent move to placate those outraged by the endorsement of what they consider blasphemous behavior, the Dodgers subsequently announced a new special event at the stadium in July: “Christian Faith and Family Day.”

While such an outreach effort to Christians might have been well-received under ordinary circumstances, the move was widely interpreted as a hollow gesture by those who were already upset by the decision to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. 

Diocese of Winona-Rochester Bishop Robert Barron declared that the move was “not enough,” adding: “If you really want to reach out to Christians, don’t celebrate anti-Christian hate groups.”

He had previously called for a boycott of the team in response to the controversial drag queen celebration.

Of course, some Christians saw the July 30 faith-based event as a step in the right direction. 

Clayton Kershaw, a pitcher for the Dodgers and a professing Christian, expressed excitement over the “relaunch” of Christian Faith and Family Day in a tweet.

“More details to come — but we are grateful for the opportunity to talk about Jesus and determined to make it bigger and better than it was before COVID,” he wrote.