Steve Millies, a theology and politics scholar at the Catholic Theological Union, has publicly ridiculed Bishop Robert Barron’s criticism of the LA Dodgers for supporting what the bishop called an “anti-Catholic hate group”. Millies, who regularly contributes to Catholic publications, has taken issue with Barron’s stance, particularly on social media platforms.
The contentious exchange emerged when Millies, on Twitter, questioned Barron’s evaluation of the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence”, which the bishop had identified as an offensive entity. In a video statement, Bishop Barron had said, “it is hard to imagine anything more offensive than some of the behavior of the ‘Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,’ which I think can only be described as an anti-Catholic hate group.” In response, Millies directed the bishop to a 2021 National Catholic Reporter article critical of bishops opposing a pro-LGBTQ bill backed by the Biden administration.
Millies was critiquing Barron’s characterization of the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” as more offensive than the bishops’ resistance to pro-LGBTQ policies. In turn, Barron had encouraged Catholics to boycott the Dodgers as a stand for the faith.
The article Millies referred to as containing elements “more offensive” than the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” addressed the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) opposition to several LGBTQ-related bills proposed by the Democratic party under President Biden’s administration. These legislative efforts included the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and “the Equality Act,” aiming to increase federal civil rights protection for LGBTQ individuals while curtailing religious freedom protections.