Virginia’s two Catholic bishops issued a statement Tuesday calling on Gov. Ralph Northam to rescind the appointment of a Democratic activist to the Virginia Council on Women because of anti-Catholic jokes she posted publicly on Twitter.
They asked Catholics in Virginia to call or email the governor’s office to express concern.
“We expect anyone appointed to a council, board or commission for the commonwealth to be respectful of all faith groups and civil in his or her public comments. Her statements are offensive to Catholics and our faith,” Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington said in the statement.
Bishop Barry C. Knestout of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond joined in the statement, which said appointee Gail Gordon Donegan of Alexandria “has demonstrated a pattern of ridiculing Catholic beliefs and employing stereotypes designed to malign people of faith. Had these comments been directed toward any other group of persons, they would have disqualified her from this role.”
A spokeswoman for Northam did not respond to an email and voicemail Tuesday.
Northam’s office announced Aug. 16 that he was appointing Donegan to the women’s council; her announcement was part of a weekly mix of appointments to state boards and commissions.
A Richmond Times-Dispatch review of Donegan’s Twitter history showed derogatory attacks on others and anti-Catholic jokes and jokes about priests and pedophilia between 2009 and 2018.
Last week, a spokeswoman for Northam defended the appointment, saying that while the governor did not condone Donegan’s language, she had spent years advocating for women’s issues in Virginia.
Donegan tweeted under the handle “Satirical Alexandria — Rated Fx by the NRA.” The account is now private.
The website of the Diocese of Arlington says it has nearly 70 parishes with 464,861 registered Catholics in Northern Virginia. The Diocese of Richmond website says it has 139 parishes across Virginia with a Catholic population of more than 240,000.
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I lose respect for someone without the ability to communicate their points publicly without needless ugly expletives. Most of us might let an occasional expletive fly in private conversation....if one does not understand the difference, so be it. As to personal insults, those have long been common on social media. If Donegan is acceptable to Northam, she is fine with me. But Northam should understand why many are displeased with his leadership.
Hmmm...What kind of actions would a proudly racist Klansman take? Would he dress like a confederate general and/or racist governor when attending a costume or Halloween Event? Probably.
Would he wear blackface and/or Klan robes to a party, allow pictures to be taken of him in that "costume" and submit it for publication in a medical school yearbook? Probably.
If elected to public office, would a proudly racist Klansman appoint an openly and fiercely bigoted anti-Catholic individual to advise him? Yes.
Yet Democrats continue to defend him.
Good grief, the level of pearl clutching in these comments is ridiculous. It is hilarious to see evangelicals get their panties all in a bunch over some stupid tweets that don't suit them. I mean it's almost like people shouldn't listen to your bellyaching at all since THIS offends you but not the vile person who regularly tweets terrible things from the White House. Basically, if you have no qualms about Trump's Twitter habits but find fault with this lady's tweets, you've lost a say in what is deemed "offensive" in my opinion.
My apologies all. I started this thread by suggesting, as a Catholic, that the Catholic Church should address their own flaws before attacking those of others. I did not legitimize any statements made by the subject of the article. Unfortunately, as is the norm these days, the vitriol hatred of divisive political ranting has stolen the conversation. I will bow out now. I have no interest in such spew.
Not going to happen. She is the face of the real Democratic Party
Didn't vote for him, don't really support him.
If I find a Catholic being appointed to any post to be offensive due to the Church's behavior, do I get a news story?
She's pro-abortion and so is the Governor. They don't care what Catholics or Evangelical Christians have to say about anything.
I suggest to my reflexively anti-Catholic friends concerned about the abuse crisis check out the Arlington and Richmond Diocese websites to see delayed but appropriate action. The eyes are well open.
To be clear, my statement was not as an anti-Catholic, but the opposite - I am a born, baptised, and raised Catholic...and beyond disappointed. Whatever the church has decided to do and post on their websites is too little and too late. The Catholic faith is in crisis and for good reason.
Offensive to all Christians, not just Catholics.
It is the epitome of hypocrisy for the Catholic church to turn a blind on rampant pedophilia amongst the ordained, yet call for the resignation of a political appointee over an attempt at, admittedly bad, humor.
An attempt at bad humor . . . I think not! Her comments were offensive, coarse, filthy, dirty, smutty, vile, nasty, foul obscenities and swear words. This person may be considered a woman but she is certainly no lady! She certainly isn't representative of the women of Virginia.
Kudos to you, Betty. Perfectly stated!! If Northam doesn’t rescind this appointment, then clearly he must be just fine with her filth as well as religious bigotry.
As he was when he appointed her. He thought he could get away with it as he quietly appointed this vile despicable excuse for a human.
My goodness! Sounds like you're ranting in tongue.
Sounds like you are ranting with no information. As usual.
2 Wrongs don't make a right !
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