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CV NEWS FEED // Major League Baseball pitcher Blake Treinen of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday issued a strong statement against his team’s decision to host and give a “Community Hero Award” to an anti-Catholic hate group.
“I am disappointed to see the Sister’s of Perpetual Indulgence being honored as heroes at Dodger Stadium. Many of their performances are blasphemous, and their work only displays hate and mockery of Catholics and the Christian faith,” Treinen stated. “This group openly mocks Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of my faith, and I want to make it clear that I do not agree with nor support the decision of the Dodger’s to ‘honor’ the Sister’s of Perpetual Indulgence.”
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Treinen’s statement comes as the Dodgers face nationwide backlash over their decision to host and honor the group of men who dress in lewd costumes modeled after the habits worn by Catholic nuns.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI) also engage in obscene public acts of sacrilege, such as a mock-Mass that simulated ingesting semen from chalices and another event in which drag queens pole danced on a cross and suggestively touched a scantily clad man meant to represent Jesus.
Treinen’s full statement is below:
I understand that playing baseball is a privilege, and not a right. My convictions in Jesus Christ will always come first. Since I have been with the Dodger’s they have been at the forefront of supporting a wide variety of groups.. However, inviting the Sister’s of Perpetual Indulgence to perform disenfranchises a large community and promotes hate of Christians and people of faith. This single event alienates the fans and supporters of the Dodgers, Major League Baseball, and professional sports. People like baseball for its entertainment value and competition. The fans do not want propaganda or politics forced on them. The debacle with Bud Light and Target should be a warning to companies and professional sports to stay true to their brand and leave the propaganda and politics off the field.
I believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. I believe the word of God is true, and in Galatians 6:7 it says, “do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked; a man reaps what he sows.” This group openly mocks Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of my faith, and I want to make it clear that I do not agree with nor support the decision of the Dodger’s to “honor” the Sister’s of Perpetual Indulgence.
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15.
Blake Treinen
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Treinen’s is one of the most powerful rebukes of the Dodgers since they first announced their collaboration with SPI, and the third to come from an MLB player.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw had offered a more measured criticism. “I don’t agree with making fun of other people’s religions,” he said. “It has nothing to do with anything other than that. I just don’t think that, no matter what religion you are, you should make fun of somebody else’s religion. So that’s something that I definitely don’t agree with.”
Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams also denounced the Dodgers’ decision to honor SPI. “As a devout Catholic, I am deeply troubled by the Dodgers’ decision to re-invite and honor the group ‘The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’ at their Pride Night this year,” Williams wrote:
To invite and honor a group that makes a blatant and deeply offensive mockery of my religion, and the religion of over 4 million people in Los Angeles county alone, undermines the values of respect and inclusivity that should be upheld by any organization.
A growing number of bishops and other Catholic Church authorities have also spoken out against the Dodgers honoring SPI, including former Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles Robert Barron, who called SPI an “anti-Catholic hate group” and called on Catholics to boycott the team.
CatholicVote President Brian Burch recently announced a plan to raise funds for a $1 million ad campaign confronting the Dodgers.
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