Washington D.C., Jun 4, 2009 / 04:15 am
The White House spokesman has said that President Obama is “comfortable” with the makeup of his faith-based advisory council despite protests alleging anti-Catholic bigotry from one appointee who characterized Pope Benedict as a “discredited leader” and called the Knights of Columbus “foot soldiers” in an “army of oppression.”
Harry Knox, the controversial appointee, is a former licensed minister of the United Methodist Church and a leader with the homosexual activist group Human Rights Council.
Before being appointed to the president’s advisory council on faith-based partnerships, Knox had attacked Pope Benedict and some Catholic bishops as "discredited leaders" because of their opposition to same-sex "marriage."
Knox was also critical of Pope Benedict’s comments on condoms and AIDS in Africa. Writing on the Human Rights Campaign’s web site, Knox claimed the Pope’s statement was a “blatant falsehood” which was “morally reprehensible to spread.” He also suggested the Pope was further harming “the marginalized and the downtrodden.”
Though granting that the Knights of Columbus had done good works, he nevertheless has characterized its members as "foot soldiers of a discredited army of oppression" because of the Catholic charitable fraternity’s support for the successful California ballot measure Proposition 8.