Obama picks gay bishop to launch inauguration festivities

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Bishop Gene Robinson

Washington D.C., Jan 12, 2009 / 06:44 pm (CNA).- President-elect Barack Obama’s Inauguration has already seen consternation amongst homosexuals over Obama’s selection of Rick Warren to deliver the invocation. However, today it was made public that openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire will offer a prayer on Sunday to open the inauguration events.

On Monday an anonymous source from the Obama team told Politico that Bishop Robinson had accepted an invitation to kickoff the inaugural ceremonies with a prayer on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

With President-elect Obama in attendance, Bishop Robinson will help launch Obama’s “We are One” string of ceremonies. In an email to friends, Robinson said that he is “humbled and overjoyed at this invitation, and it will be my great honor to be there representing the Episcopal Church, the people of New Hampshire, and all of us in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.”

An Obama aide told Politico that the plans to feature Robinson were in place “before the complaints about Rick Warren. Many skeptics will read this as a direct reaction to the Warren criticism – but it’s just not so.”

Joe Solomnese, president of the pro-homosexual group Human Rights Campaign, described the Robinson invitation as showing that "ultimately, Barack Obama is a friend to the LGBT community.” "I believe his administration is going to inspire us and advance our agenda more often than not," Solomnese said on Monday.

Obama’s selection of Rick Warren to offer the invocation for the inauguration ceremony has drawn the ire of gay activists, including Bishop Robinson who called the Warren pick “really, really unfortunate” because of Warren’s opposition to same-sex marriage.

In a December 2008 interview with Beliefnet, Robinson said that he “would love to engage him [Warren]. In some ways he's a very brave person, but he's woefully wrong about the issue of homosexuality. He needs to be confronted about the lies he told about gay people to the people of California.”

“It's about this particular venue and the role that he has in praying for all of America, and I'm just not sure he'd pray to God the same way I would,” Robinson added.

CNA attempted to reach Bishop Gene Robinson for his reaction to the invitation, but did not response immediately.

Comments: 12

Subscriber comments:

Published by: Carolyn
Marblehead, Ma 01/18/2009 04:24 PM EST

If Catholics would stop sitting in judgment of people who think and act different from them, they might be taken seriously. It was a genuine reaching out to show that Obama will be the president of ALL Americans, not just 'straight' ones. Hurray for him. Better late than never.

Published by: Beth
Virginia 01/16/2009 06:13 PM EST

I assume Barack Hussein Obama was baptized, but I also think that is his ONLY claim to calling himself Christian... he does not think like or propose Christian actions. Certainly his belief in killing babies in their mothers' wombs is NOT Christian thought.

Published by: Eric
Venezuela 01/14/2009 11:06 AM EST

Greetings since Latin America,
I felt some expectation about this news item owing to its absurd, and I animate me to write a lines. My humble opinion as Christian of straight reason and conscience is that the president elect Obama has committed an error that derives in shamelessness, perhaps by ignorance, but we should remember to President elect Obama that religion and homosexuality are completely incompatible; the"Episcopalians” brothers are very wrong upon permitting so big aberration, and is a lamentable fact and It is in bad taste for the Christians of straight reason and straight conscience.The catholics with coherence to the Mastery do not see with good eyes that fact.

Published by: Laudan Espinoza
Seattle WA 01/13/2009 02:09 PM EST

It is no surprise to anyone that the Episcopal Church in America has completely gone astray not just from Christian Tradition but also scripture. No one should care what "bishop" Robinson says concerning views on marriage. I'm fairly certain that Paul's letter to Titus concerning the qualifications of a bishop does not include "militantly pro-homosexual", or "pro-gay marriage."
Robinson and people like him have abandoned the Gospel in favor of a politically expedient, headline making, slogans.

Published by: Elida Zelaya
Managua, Nicaragua 01/13/2009 01:15 PM EST

If Robinson had been a pick from the beginning, Obama or his people would have said so. This is going to be a president who will want to please everybody which is not what it takes to lead.

Published by: Raymond Peringer
Toronto, Canada 01/13/2009 01:10 PM EST

The Warren and Robinson tiff shows again that, unless one accepts the ever-expanding gay agenda in its entirety, one may be labeled homophobic, whatever that vague word means.

How else to explain pro-gay Joe Solomnese's offensive description of President-Elect Obama as "ultimately" a "friend"? Curiously, anyone who shares Obama's objection to same-sex marriage is labeled anti-gay, witness the egregious harassment by gays and lesbians of supporters of California's Proposition 8.

Published by: Judy Riddle
Jupiter, Florida, USA 01/13/2009 01:05 PM EST

You are either for HIM or against HIM (God), the lukewarm HE will spit out. Christs holy word says that practicing homosexuals will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Read the HOly Bible.

Published by: DK
PA 01/13/2009 12:53 PM EST

I agree with Margaret's comment above. It is rather chilling. You can't agree with everything as president to help appease everyone. You have to take a stand for what is right and moral, which he isn't.

Published by: N Waff
USA 01/13/2009 10:55 AM EST

=================================
= OBAMA - THE CHRISTIAN IMPOSTOR
=================================

Considering how much Obama has strayed from the teaching in the Bible, he fits the description provided by the apostle Paul in his second letter to Timothy. Paul says "men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." Obama’s position on abortion, homosexuality and other issues (and his own mocking of the Bible), fits the description. And Pauls calls these people "evil men and impostors."

Published by: Dan
Santa Fe/NM/US 01/13/2009 07:48 AM EST

Well he's got to be pro-life, at least I would hope he is? Seems we will be grasping for straws for the next 4 years.

Published by: Lucille Gaudreau
Newport, Vt. U.S.A 01/13/2009 12:42 AM EST

It's unfortunate that immorality is put on a pedestal in this country. How nauseating...

Published by: Margaret Cosenza
Pensacola Fla. 01/12/2009 08:05 PM EST

The fact that obama is allowing this gay bishop to be apart of the innaguration scares me you cannot claim to be a christian and believe in gay marriages and abortion, as christians we cannot pick and choose what we believe I am afraid that obama is going to be the president because ,if you will not stand up for things you will stand for anything

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