A Dallas, Texas church hosted a group of drag queens Sunday in order to "bless" them and to respond to a state law that would make sexually-oriented performances in front of children a criminal offense. The church then went a step further, pledging allegiance to the LGBT agenda while praying aloud, "We pledge to be allies to the drag community."
The Cathedral of Hope held a "Drag Sunday" service to "bless" the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, according to The Dallas Express.
As CBN News has reported, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are a controversial drag group that dresses as nuns, mocks religious imagery, and revels in blasphemous portrayals of the crucifixion.
The Cathedral of Hope, a congregation affiliated with the United Churches of Christ, is said to be the largest LGBTQ-friendly church in the world, according to The Dallas Express.
The outlet reported the church decided to hold Sunday's service as a response to SB12, a new Texas law protecting minors from being exposed to "sexually oriented performances." The law was supposed to go into effect on Sept. 1, but the ACLU challenged it, and a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to block it.
The Cathedral of Hope's leaders said they stood by their decision to host the drag group.
"{The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence} have been a force to help us understand that there is something still very deeply spiritual about us," Reverend Neil G. Thomas told The Dallas Express. "Whilst we understand that their art form and expression may not be everybody's taste, the truth is that they have also followed in the footsteps of many orders who have been benevolent and who have continued to be the most compassionate {and} understanding … working specifically {with} gay men during the AIDS pandemic."
After Thomas's sermon, the drag queens came up on stage in front of the congregation, and a blessing was read over them by church leaders, according to the outlet.
In a social media post, Turning Point USA Founder and CEO Charlie Kirk included a video from the Cathedral of Hope service, writing:
"Congregants at the Cathedral of Hope Protestant Church in Dallas were led in a prayer pledging allegiance to drag queens and LGBTQ+. This is blasphemy."
Congregants at the Cathedral of Hope Protestant Church in Dallas were led in a prayer pledging allegiance to drag queens and LGBTQ+.
This is blasphemy. pic.twitter.com/S33M4JwQ4M
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) September 19, 2023
The Dallas Express reported around 40 protesters gathered outside of the church Sunday to protest the church honoring the drag group.
Cesar Franco of the nonprofit America Needs Fatima said, "Catholic nuns are something that's very sacred, very beautiful."
"For them to mock the purity of nuns, to mock this beautiful institution of the Catholic faith, it's abominable," he told The Dallas Morning News.
As CBN News reported in June, the Los Angeles Dodgers' decision to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence sparked a backlash from Christians and conservatives.
Following outrage over the initial decision, the Dodgers backed away from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — then flip-flopped and apologized to the drag performers, welcoming them back to a place of honor.
In response, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued an official statement denouncing the Dodgers' decision to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI) on the feast of the Sacred Heart, calling it "blasphemy."
"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," the bishops said. "This is not just offensive and painful to Christians everywhere; it is blasphemy."
The Sisters describe themselves as a "leading edge Order of queer and trans nuns." Although the group has claimed it is not anti-Catholic, The Daily Signal recently noted its tagline located at the bottom of its webpage states: "Go forth and sin some more" – a blatant mockery of Jesus Christ's words to a woman caught in adultery.
Also in June, the LGBT performers were also honored by the California state legislature.
The Catholic News Agency reports while Michael Williams or "Sister Roma," a member of the San Francisco chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, was being introduced on the floor of the State Assembly, the entire California Republican Caucus walked out of the state capitol in protest.
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