April 28, 2015 (LifeSiteNews.com) — In the days leading up to this past weekend’s March for Marriage, the homosexual activist group Human Rights Campaign petitioned the Holy Father to keep his ambassador to the US from participating in the annual event supporting natural marriage.
To the displeasure of the pro-homosexual group, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano was among the special guests at the third annual march in Washington, D.C., presented by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).
“There is absolutely no room for an emissary of one of the world’s great religions at an event that will espouse hate and bigotry and promote outright discrimination against LGBT Americans and their families,” HRC Vice President of Communications Fred Sainz stated in press release three days before the event. “Pope Francis has continually emphasized love and acceptance in his tenure, but this event stands for anything but.”
The title of the HRC’s blog post ran, “In Diplomatic Breach, Vatican Ambassador Set To Speak at Anti-LGBT Rally in Washington.”
The activist claimed that NOM “has a long history of giving voice to hate.”
The post also stated the March would “feature some of the most virulently anti-LGBT voices in an effort to convince the Supreme Court to rule against marriage equality in its deliberations this summer.”
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Archbishop Vigano was joined at the March for Marriage by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops President Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz and Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, among other Catholic prelates. Evangelical leaders joined the event as well.
Calling the March for Marriage “a partisan event” presented by “an organization noted for a campaign of hate and intolerance against LGBT people and their families,” HRC told Pope Francis in the April 22 letter the nuncio’s appearance was “divisive to say the least.”
The letter quoted the US Bishops’ 1997 pastoral letter to parents of homosexual children, “Always Our Children,” stating the archbishop’s appearance “jeopardizes the relationship between the Church and the LGBT community by backtracking on the inroads forged” through the document.
In the letter, HRC presumed to educate Pope Francis on the role of his ambassador.
“Imagine if the United States ambassador to the Vatican took part in a rally in support of reproductive rights in St. Peter’s Square,” it said. “The role of an ambassador such as Archbishop Viganò or our own ambassador to the Vatican is to represent diplomatic interests, not further politicize differences.”
The homosexual activist group disparaged NOM in the letter to the Holy Father, claiming campaign ethics law violations and divisive racial tactics on the part of the pro-natural marriage organization.
“Under the banner of ‘protecting families,’ the National Organization for Marriage stands for rank bigotry,” it said.
Closing the letter by claiming “full knowledge of your deep respect for LGBT people and their families,” HRC called on Pope Francis to stop Archbishop Vigano’s planned appearance at the March.