Apology for Slamming Cardinal O'Connor

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Jan. 4 — Time Out New York, a weekly entertainment guide that came under fire for listing Cardinal John O'Connor's death as one of the best events of 2000, issued an apology for the item, the wire service reported.

The item appeared in the Jan. 4 issue in a section geared toward homosexual readers.

The note read, “The press eulogized him as a saint, when in fact, the pious creep was a stuck-in-the-1950s anti-gay menace. Good riddance!” Time Out editor Joe Angio said, “We regret the insensitive tone of the statement and apologize to anyone who was offended by it.”

But he stuck by the claim that the cardinal was against homosexuals.

Cop Under Investigation in Rainbow Ruckus

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Jan. 9 — A police officer in Traverse City, Mich., is under investigation after he criticized city bumper stickers which some residents say promote homosexual activism, the wire service reported.

After a dust-up that gained national attention, the city dropped the stickers.

The officer, David Leach, was off duty when he spoke against the stickers on a local Christian radio station. The stickers show figures holding hands on a rainbow background. They were meant to foster unity after a series of crimes against blacks and homosexuals, and would have been posted on every city vehicle, including police cars, and given away to private citizens.

Many homosexual groups use the rainbow flag as a symbol of homosexual activism. Officer Leach told the Associated Press that the rainbow “is a sign of the homosexual and it's on my patrol car.”

The city's Human Rights Commission is now investigating him to determine whether his comments violated the city's anti-discrimination policy, which recently added “sexual orientation” to a list of protected categories.

Catholics and Episcoplalians Seek Vocations Together

CINCINNATI POST, Jan. 9 — The Catholic and Episcopal dioceses of Cincinnati are both making strong efforts to seek young candidates for the priesthood, the Cincinnati daily reported.

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has two recruiting ads on television. One spot features a diocesan priest talking about his experiences, and the other shows priests in action.

The Episcopal priest search began earlier and is already showing some success. The diocese assigns interested high school and college students to a congregation and a priest-mentor for eight weeks. The diocese also encourages priests to seek out interested young people, and plans to expand its campus ministry, matching congregations with local colleges.

One of the four students who participated in the Episcopalian program last summer is now in seminary, and 10 students have already expressed an interest in this year's program.