According to a statement from the Major League Baseball team, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Sisters of the Perpetual Indulgence on-again, off-again partnership is on again.
The Dodgers received national attention for inviting the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to Pride Night as an award honoree. Then they said the invitation to the anti-Catholic group was rescinded.
But on Monday, the Dodgers announced they would be re-inviting the group and offered its “sincerest apologies” to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, members of the LGBTQ+ community and their family and friends.
“We have asked the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to take their place on the field at our 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night on June 16,” the Dodgers said. “We are pleased to share that they have agreed to receive the gratitude of our collective communities for the lifesaving work that they have done tirelessly for decades.”
The Dodgers said they would continue to work with their LGBTQ+ partners to “better educate ourselves, find ways to strengthen the ties that bind and use our platform to support all of our fans who make up the diversity of the Dodgers family.”
Less than a week ago the team said the invitation would be rescinded due to the “strong feelings” of people offended by the inclusion of the anti-Catholic group.
The anti-Catholic group said they accepted the apology from the Dodgers and noted the ordeal has strengthened, protected and uplifted its group to a “position where we may now offer our message of hope and joy to far more people than before.”
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange released a statement in response:
“The decision to openly embrace a group whose demeaning behavior is anti-Catholic and anti-Christian is misguided and disrespectful to the sisters of the Catholic Church who minister in Orange County and selflessly dedicate their lives to God’s underserved people. We cannot condone any actions that have historically shown such high levels of disregard for the sincerely held beliefs of the faithful.”
