Rob Issa, FISM News

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Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Blake Treinen disagree with the organization’s decision to welcome an anti-Catholic, satirical LGBTQ+ group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at the team’s annual Pride Night.

Kershaw, a three-time National League Cy Young Award winner, told The Los Angeles Times on Monday that players held a meeting in the clubhouse to discuss the matter.

“This has nothing to do with the LGBTQ community or Pride or anything like that,” Kershaw said. “This is simply a group that was making fun of a religion, that I don’t agree with.”

Treinen, who is currently recovering from shoulder surgery, was more critical. He released a statement through his friend Sean Feucht, a Christian missionary and musician.

“I am disappointed to see the Sister’s (sic) of Perpetual Indulgence being honored as heroes at Dodger Stadium. Many of their performances are blasphemous, and their work only displays hate and mockery of Catholics and the Christian faith.

I understand that playing baseball is a privilege, and not a right. My convictions in Jesus Christ will always come first. Since I have been with the Dodger’s (sic) they have been at the forefront of supporting a wide variety of groups.. However, inviting the Sister’s (sic) of Perpetual indulgence to perform disenfranchises a large community and promotes hate of Christians and people of faith. This single event alienates the fans and supporters of the Dodgers, Major League Baseball, and professional sports. People like baseball for its entertainment value and competition. The fans do not want propaganda or politics forced on them. The debacle with Bud Light and Target should be a warning to companies and professional sports to stay true to their brand and leave the propaganda and politics off the field…

“I believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. I believe the word of God is true, and in Galatians 6:7 it says, ‘do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked; a man reaps what he sows.’ This group openly mocks Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of my faith, and I want to make it clear that I do not agree with nor support the decision of the Dodger’s (sic) to “honor” the Sister’s (sic) of Perpetual Indulgence.

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ Joshua 24:15.”

The team rescinded its original invitation to the group after backlash from Roman Catholics and conservative politicians. But the Dodgers then received pushback from LGBTQ+ groups around the country, including some deciding to pull out of Pride Night. So the organization reversed its decision five days later and welcomed them back.

The Sisters are a group of mainly men who dress as nuns that was founded in 1979 in San Francisco. The Los Angeles chapter will receive the Community Hero Award despite critics saying this group mocks nuns, Catholics and the Christian faith.

The group denies it is anti-Catholic, saying it uses “humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit.”

Kershaw said the Dodgers are now bringing back Christian Faith and Family Day later this season.

“I think we were always going to do Christian Faith Day this year, but I think the timing of our announcement was sped up,” Kershaw told the LA Times. “Picking a date and doing those different things was part of it as well. Yes, it was in response to the highlighting of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (by the Dodgers).”

Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams also criticized the Dodgers on Tuesday.

“To invite and honor a group that makes a blatant and deeply offensive mockery of my religion, and the religion of over 4 million people in Los Angeles county alone, undermines the values of respect and inclusivity that should be upheld by any organization,” Williams wrote on Twitter.

“Creating an environment in which one group feels celebrated and honored at the expense of another is counterproductive and wrong. It is a clear violation of the Dodgers’ Discrimination Policy, which explicitly states that any conduct or attire at the ballpark that is deemed to be indecent or prejudice against any particular group (or religion) is not tolerated.”