Steve Millies, a professor at the Catholic Theological Union, on Friday publicly mocked Bishop Robert Barron’s opposition to the LA Dodgers hosting an anti-Catholic hate group.
Steve Millies is a professor at the Catholic Theological Union, a graduate school of theology and ministry in Chicago. He contributes to several Catholic magazines including America and The National Catholic Reporter. His scholarship focuses on the relationship between theology and politics, according to his university bio.
“Let me try to help @bishopbarron imagine something ‘more offensive than some of the behavior of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,’” Millies tweeted directly at Barron. In the tweet, millies linked to a 2021 article from the National Catholic Reporter which criticized bishops for opposing a pro-LGBTQ bill backed by the Biden administration.
Millies’ tweet referred to a video in which Barron had said it is “hard to imagine anything more offensive than some of the behavior of the ‘Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,’ which I think can only be described as an anti-Catholic hate group.”
Barron had also called for faithful Catholics to boycott the Dodgers, encouraging them with the words: “Let’s pray for the defense of our faith, and let’s stand for the Catholic faith.”
The article Millies cited as containing something “more offensive” than the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” (SPI) was about the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) lobbying against various LGBTQ policy measures put forward by Democrats under the Biden administration. The laws included the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and “the Equality Act, which would expand federal civil rights protection against LGBTQ persons, while eliminating religious freedom protections.”
Millies followed up his initial criticism with an image of a recent email from Word on Fire which encouraged Catholics to “honor” Bishop Barron on the occasion of his 37th priestly anniversary. “Donate today,” Millies tweeted along with a link to donate to SPI, suggesting people “honor” Barron by donating to the anti-Catholic hate group.
