How people of faith are preparing for Friday’s controversial Dodgers game

Roman Catholic leaders in the U.S. have called for a day of prayer Friday to counter the recognition of a controversial LGBTQ advocacy group at the LA Dodgers game that night. Others are organizing a protest outside the baseball stadium, while the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is calling for dialogue.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are among the groups and individuals who will be honored as “community heroes” at the Dodgers’ annual Pride Night. Members of the group sometimes use sexualized religious imagery and dress as nuns in performances that have been called blasphemous and profane.

In a statement, the Catholic leaders noted that the game is occurring on a feast day within the Catholic Church, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Dodgers’ decision to honor the group “is not just offensive and painful to Christians everywhere; it is blasphemy,” the statement said.

The call to prayer was jointly issued by the Most Rev. Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty; and Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles.

While the Los Angeles diocese has been critical of the Dodgers’ decision, it is not involved with what’s being called a “prayerful procession” outside the stadium from 3 to 7 p.m. Pacific Time.

The Pillar, a Catholic news site, is reporting that the event does not have the “backing or approval” of the archdiocese, which wants to “take a step back and hope for dialogue with all relevant parties.”

Meanwhile, Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams has doubled down on his opposition to what another MLB team is doing, telling journalist Colm Flynn that “anyone with two eyes and a brain” can see that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are mocking his religious faith. Williams is one of three MLB players who have spoken publicly about the controversy. He has said he’s not against Pride Night, but the recognition of this particular group in this way, and he’s partnered with the prayer app Hallow to lead a 12-day prayer challenge that begins Friday.

Related

• Mike Pence joins notable voices speaking out against Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

• In LA Dodgers controversy, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence win at the expense of people of faith

Friday’s events will be the culmination of weeks of controversy during which the Dodgers initially rescinded their invitation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, after objections from Catholic leaders and politicians, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

There was then outcry from the LGBTQ community, which threatened to boycott Pride Night. In response, the Dodgers reissued the invitation with an apology, eliciting even more condemnation from athletes and politicians, including former Vice President Mike Pence.

In a column for The Wall Street Journal, William McGurn noted that in all the controversy surrounding Pride Month, to include a boycott of Target, the only group that’s gotten an apology is the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. He went on to decry the “cheap tricks” that are being used to placate people who are upset — in the Dodgers’ case, the announcement of a “Christian Faith and Family Night” on July 30.

“Do Dodger execs really think that fans who saw their team taking sides with a group blaspheming the Catholic faith will forget it all in exchange for a Christian day at the ballpark?” McGurn wrote.

For its part, the Dodgers organization has been quiet on the subject, and had considerably less controversy over its Will Smith Bobblehead Night this week. (That would be Will Smith, the catcher, not Will Smith, the actor.) Smith’s wife threw out the first pitch at that game, June 13, holding the couple’s 7-month-old daughter.