Bishop Joseph Strickland, of the Diocese of Tyler in Texas, told Newsmax Monday that he was glad to see so many people speak up "prayerfully and peacefully" at the protest at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday and called on people of faith to "speak up in love" more often.
"There were certainly many Catholics, Christians of other denominations, and also non-Christians," he said of the crowd during an appearance on Newsmax's "National Report." "There was a Jewish rabbi there that really spoke eloquently about the reality of how faith [being] denigrated and blasphemed is simply not what this country is about, and we really need to speak up more forcefully.
"We've been too complacent as Christians, as Catholics. God loves everyone and we need to emphasize that. Jesus Christ came as savior for all, but to mock that is really harmful to those who are mocking and to the whole community."
The Los Angeles Dodgers came under fire in recent weeks for inviting the anti-Catholic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence drag queen troupe to Friday's game and honoring it with a Community Hero Award.
Calling the thousands of protestors who shut down the main gate of the baseball stadium a "beautiful crowd," Strickland said it was largely comprised of prayerful, peaceful people "who love Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior."
"He has come for all, and we believe that, and I think this prayer rally really represented what we believe in who we are," he said. "We are disciples of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. God is love, and true love is always upholding the sanctity and the value of every person, so to mock others or to blaspheme the Lord is very serious."
"It happened, in our Catholic faith, to take place on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, and I'm proud of these people who peacefully and prayerfully stood up for their Lord and stood up for the faith and called everyone to respect those gifts of faith that we celebrate in this nation," he added.
When asked about the Dodgers' choice to honor the anti-Catholic drag queen performers, Strickland said that he believes the decision was largely a "calculation about dollars and what would be the most dollar effect."
"Hopefully they'll find out that, if it is just about dollars, and it should be about the goodness of God's people, but, even on the calculation of dollars, I think they missed the mark because many people are offended by this, even people who might not have a deep commitment to a faith themselves," he said. "Also [there was] a lot of pressure from relatively small groups of people that are very loud, and as Catholics, as Christians, we never want to become violent.
"Christ told us to love our enemies and be good to those who persecute us, but that doesn't mean we can't speak up in love, and I think we need to do more of that."
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