The White House says [Barack Obama] is “comfortable” with a homosexual activist on the
advisory counsel of faith-based initiatives, a man who has come under attack for having vilified the Catholic Church, calling
the current Pope a “discredited leader” and the Knights of Columbus his “foot soldiers” in a “discredited
army of oppression.”
CNSNews.com reported Tuesday that
the White House has essentially shrugged at calls from Catholics that Harry Knox, the former director of the “religion
and faith program” at the Human Rights Counsel, a homosexual lobby group, be removed from the President’s Advisory
Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships for his insulting and bigoted language toward the Catholic Church.
Prominent Catholic figures, including House Republican Leader John Boehner, Catholic League
President Bill Donohue, American Life League's Judie Brown, and members of the Family Research Council, expressed their
concern to Obama in a May 13 letter, citing Knox's remarks as proof he is "unfit to serve" on an advisory board
billed as fostering interfaith cooperation.
"As
Catholics, we call on you to remove Mr. Knox from his position and to formally disassociate yourself from his militant anti-Catholicism,"
stated the letter, signed by 22 Catholic leaders. "Failure to do so will result in the tainting of your Faith-Based Council
- and indeed, your entire administration - as anti-Catholic."
The letter also stated, “We do not know if you or members of your Administration were aware of Knox’s deplorable,
abusive attitude towards the Church and Pope Benedict XVI when you named him to the Council. We assume you were not.”
The letter continued, “But since then, there have been numerous press reports on Knox’s loathsome
and clearly bigoted rhetoric, so there no longer is any excuse for your failure to act. We can remain silent no longer.”
A CNSNews reporter finally obtained comment from White House press secretary Robert
Gibbs on the issue, who made clear Obama had no problem with Knox on his advisory counsel.
“[Barack Obama] is comfortable with the makeup of his faith advisory council,” Gibbs
said
In 2007, Knox called it "immoral and insulting
to Jesus" when the bishop of Cheyenne, Wyoming instructed that an activist lesbian couple not receive Communion.
"If all Knox had done was to criticize the Catholic Church
on public policy issues, there would be no problem," said Catholic League President Bill Donohue. Instead, Donahue
said Knox had stepped beyond merely disagreeing with the Church to demonizing it, "slamming the Catholic Church on internal
matters that are none of his business."
“In short,”
continued Donahue, “the letter by Catholic leaders to [Barack Obama] requesting him to remove Harry Knox from his post
is entirely warranted.”
> Make your covenant to stay with God.
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