As a Catholic I find it interesting that critics are now labeling new Cardinals and Bishops as conservative moderate or liberal/progressive. Let me tell you what San Diego’s new Cardinal Robert W. McElroy is. He is a true Christian who believes we are all God’s children.
There is a reason that Pope Francis named only one American Cardinal among the 20 he named to the College of Cardinals this past weekend. It is because Cardinal McElroy loves all people whether they are Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist – Straight, Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Transgender, etc. He knows that God has made us all.
I have had the honor of knowing Cardinal McElroy since I asked him to say a mass for LGBTQ+ families, and he did this historic first at Saint John’s Church in Hillcrest. I also had the honor to present him with The Mayor George Moscone Humanitarian Award – our communities highest honor for a non-LGBTQ+ individual.
Cardinal McElroy served as an Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco before becoming the Bishop of San Diego. San Francisco civic and community leaders that I spoke to all respect him very much.
When we asked then Bishop McElroy to join a service to be held at Saint Paul’s Cathedral for the Latino and LGBTQ+ communities coming together in memory and love for those who were murdered at Pulse nightclub in Florida, he came and spoke passionately at the service that was attended by San Diego Latino and LGBTQ+ leaders.
I am asking Cardinal McElroy to say a mass once again for our LGBTQ+ community and families especially those who are suffering. And yes, I will be asking Cardinal McElroy to join in the dedication of the San Diego AIDS Memorial remembering the over 9,000 men women and children who have died of HIV/AIDS in our county.
Yes, I know that we might not agree with all Pope Francis and Cardinal McElroy’s stands and decisions, but I know his heart and soul comes from a good place and true beliefs. San Diego has had bishops who refused to meet with LGBTQ+ Catholics, say mass for people with HIV/AIDS, or even say a funeral mass for two Gay bar owners who were Catholic. I know these pains because I was involved in these past situations. Today I rejoice in our new Cardinal McElroy.
Tens of Billions of Dollars go to the Moon and Mars
Why has our government spent billions to find out if there is life on the Moon and Mars instead of helping life on Earth? I don’t understand why so many Americans get so excited over our space programs. These last decades that cost billions of dollars and we have children that go hungry every night and people who die of cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other terminal illnesses. The most that our space programs have done is expand our weapons of mass destruction in space. NASA has been funded in the billions of dollars and now they want to get to Mars (where no human can live) and beyond. Now wealthy American businessman are spending millions just to ride in a spaceship. Can you imagine what we could have done with those billions of dollars spent on space.
Shana Hazan for School Board
The radical right-wing movement has been targeting School Board elections so they can ban books and take over our public schools and stop students from learning how we treated and even killed Native Americans and stole their land also about black slavery and Japanese Americans thrown in camps and turned Jews away from our land only to let them be murdered and Nazi camps, etc.
For now, we in California are fortunate to have outstanding and well qualified candidates for the School Board unlike like other states. Here in San Diego, we have a candidate for School Board who will fight for all our children and students and make sure all our history is taught. I urge you to vote for Shawna Hazan for School Board District B.
