Protesters and supporters of a group of self-described "queer and trans nuns" gathered at Dodger Stadium during a LGBTQ+ Pride Night that followed weeks of high-profile controversy.
The Pride Night event began about two hours before the first in a three-game series against the rival San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers have held Pride Nights for 10 years, but Friday's event came as debate continued over the team's plan to recognize the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with a Community Hero Award during the Pride Night celebration.
As representatives of the group, known for about three decades of community and charity work, were recognized on the field before the game, protesters gathered in a Dodger Stadium parking lot.
The award recognizes the group's efforts to promote human rights, diversity and spiritual enlightenment, but the Dodgers' announcement about plans to honor the Sisters was met with backlash from some Catholic groups and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida. He called the Sisters a lewd mockery of Christianity.
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Emotions over the high-profile controversy remain high.
A protest organized by the Catholics for Catholics religious organization was planned for the hours ahead of Friday's game at Dodger Stadium. The 'prayerful procession was organized. "in reparations for offenses committed against Jesus Christ and all Christians," the group said on its website.
The Sisters said they are devoted to community service, ministry and outreach for marginalized communities.
“After 27 years of activism and protests ourselves including the ones fighting Proposition 8 for our right to marry the ones we love, we certainly cannot complain about our fellow Angelenos expressing their 1st Amendment rights,” the Sisters told The Los Angeles Times in an email.
Another protest against the Sisters' involvement was organized in a Dodger Stadium parking lot.
LA Archbishop dedicates Mass for 'healing'
Hours ahead of first pitch, Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez dedicated a Mass "for healing due to the harm caused by the Dodgers decision to honor a group that intentionally denigrates and profanes the Christian faith."
"Friday, we celebrate the feast of Jesus' Sacred Heart," Gomez said in a statement. "… We will be praying in a special way for our city and country, for an end to prejudice, and for renewed respect for the religious beliefs of all Angelenos and all Americans.
"In a message to the faithful, the Archdiocese emphasized the 'disappointment, dismay and pain' caused by the actions of the group against the Christian faith and the Dodgers decision to honor the group even after acknowledging the concerns of the community."
The Dodgers declined to comment on Gomez's remarks.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Conference of Bishops issued a statement that said, in part, "This year, on June 16 -- the day of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- a professional baseball team has shockingly chosen to honor a group whose lewdness and vulgarity in mocking our Lord, His Mother, and consecrated women cannot be overstated. This is not just offensive and painful to Christians everywhere; it is blasphemy."
Timeline of Events
On May 5, the Dodgers withdrew the invite in a move that drew criticism from local elected officials and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups who said the entire message of the Pride movement is one of inclusion, and that banning the Sisters was deemed an affront to that mission.
The Dodgers pulled the Sisters from their Pride Night the day after Bill Donohue, president and CEO of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, had emailed Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to urge the team to yank the group.
Some of Southern California's most prominent LGBTQ+ organizations threatened to skip the stadium Pride night. The Sisters issued a statement expressing deep offense at being uninvited and calling the decision a capitulation to hateful and misleading information from people outside their community.
On May 22, the Dodgers reversed course and re-invited the Sisters to be part of Friday night's event.
"After much thoughtful feedback from our diverse communities, honest conversations within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and generous discussions with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Los Angeles Dodgers would like to offer our sincerest apologies to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, members of the LGBTQ+ community and their friends and families," the team said in a statement. "In the weeks ahead, we will continue to work with our LGBTQ+ partners to better educate ourselves, find ways to strengthen the ties that bind and use our platform to support all of our fans who make up the diversity of the Dodgers family."
About a week later, the team announced plans for a "Christian Faith and Family Day" at Dodger Stadium on July 30.
