Catholic League President: I May Not March in St. Patrick's Parade

By BRIAN FRAGA, Aleteia.org
for NewsMax
Extreme political, cultural and economic forces are colluding to secularize the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City, argues William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

"If it gets to the point where the Catholic element is completely diluted, then I will no longer march in the parade," Donohue told Aleteia two days after the St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee agreed to allow a group of gay NBC Universal employees to march under its own banner in the 2015 parade.

In a written statement provided to the Associated Press, the parade committee said its "change of tone and expanded inclusiveness" was intended as a "gesture of goodwill" to the homosexual community and an effort to keep the parade "above politics."

The committee did not respond to Aleteia's requests seeking comment. Despite the committee's stated intent to keep politics out of the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, the revised policy prompted intense controversy as both homosexual rights groups and Catholic commentators blasted the decision in recent days. 

Bemoaning the fact that only one LGBT group would be allowed to march in next year's parade, Empire State Pride Agenda’s Executive Director Nathan M. Schaefer called the policy "disappointing and self-serving." 

Meanwhile, several Catholic commentators in media outlets and blogs said the committee had capitulated to the gay agenda and effectively sold out the Catholic nature of an event dedicated to the patron saint of Ireland.

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