Fri, 31 Jan 2014 | Cover | Page 15

Goodbye Scouts, Goodbye Vatican

The Vatican has announced that it had hired EV as a consulting firm to look at the Governatorato, which runs the day-to-day activities of Vatican City. But this is just one among several recent Vatican hires of advisory firms which promote prohomosexual activism.

By Father Celatus E ach New Year ushers in changes, for better or worse: new resolutions, new laws, new politicians and new policies.

Some of these changes are for the good, such as personal resolutions to eat less and exercise more. I am resolved to avoid use of the word "pope" when referring to Francis, in accord with his own preference for the title "Bishop of Rome." In times past it was fundamentalists and modernists who shunned the title "pope" but certainly not the pope himself. Sigh. A sign of the – end – times, perhaps.

But while some 2014 changes are for the good, others are despicable. Take, for instance, the new policy of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) that took effect on the first day of the New Year: "No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone."

This resolution, by the way, was deemed as acceptable by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting.

How did it come about that after a century of existence and more than a decade after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the previous policy of the BSA, which excluded open homosexuals from membership, that the Boy Scouts did an about face and compromised on this moral matter? The impetus for change appears to have had a small start from a bigwig in the BSA organization, who was also CEO for EV.

But enough of acronyms! EV is now the name of a corporate giant, a consulting firm formerly known as Ernst & Young. EV is arguably one of the most aggressive pro-homosexual corporations in the world. A sampling of citations from its own webpage will suffice to establish the commitment of EV to this cause: We are committed to providing an inclusive work environment, where individuals are respected for the skills and talents they contribute and the impact they make. As such, we have initiatives geared toward our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) people and their allies. We support our LGBT people through both policy and practice, by working together to:

• Offer top-tier benefits (such as spousal equivalent domestic partner recognition, gender transition coverage, and tax gross up on domestic partner benefits imputed income in the US)

• Take leadership in the community by supporting top LGBT organizations through sponsorship, volunteering and board involvement

• Raise awareness of inequities that our LGBT professionals face in the workplace and in the community Our "Leading through inclusion" lunch-and-learn program builds widespread awareness about the importance of LGBT inclusion in the workplace. Additionally, the US firm is a corporate sponsor offering our support and talent to LGBTfocused non-profits, including the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). In 2012, for example, we sponsored the NGLCC gala and conference, with EY's Global Chairman and CEO Jim Turley speaking about the importance of supporting LGBT-owned businesses as part of our supplier diversity initiative and commitment to entrepreneurs.

It is this same Jim Turley who is credited as the impetus to change the longstanding policy of the Scouts. As Global Chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young and as Board Member of BSA he issued this statement:

Ernst & Young is proud to have such a strong record in LGBT inclusiveness. As CEO, I know that having an inclusive culture produces the best results, is the right thing for our people and makes us a better organization. My experience has led me to believe that an inclusive environment is important throughout our society and I am proud to be a leader on this issue. I support the meaningful work of the Boy Scouts in preparing young people for adventure, leadership, learning and service, however the membership policy is not one I would personally endorse. As I have done in leading Ernst & Young to being a most inclusive organization, I intend to continue to work from within the BSA Board to actively encourage dialogue and sustainable progress.

As swings Ernst & Young, so now swings the Boy Scouts of America! And might it also be the case someday soon – if not already – that as swings Ernst & Young, so swings the Vatican. After all, late last year the Vatican announced that it had hired EV as a consulting firm to look at the Governatorato, which runs the day-to-day activities of Vatican City. But wait, it gets even worse. Among other recent hires by the Vatican are other advisory firms which promote prohomosexual positions similar to Ernst & Young. The McKinsey & Company was hired by the Vatican to improve communications, which includes Vatican Radio and Vatican Television as well as the official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. Once again the website of this company speaks for itself regarding advocacy and support for sexual deviancy:

GLAM (Gay, lesbian, bi, and trans at McKinsey) is a vibrant, connected, worldwide network of LGBT colleagues who are committed to each other’s success and to attracting more talented LGBT women and men into the McKinsey community… McKinsey has sought LGBT talent for years. We are the founding sponsor of all three major U.S. LGBT recruiting conferences – Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA), Out for Undergraduates in Business (OUBC), and IvyQ.

Yet another example of a Vatican hire with homosexual advocacy is the Swiss accounting firm KPMG:

Established in 2003, pride@kpmg is KPMG LLP’s network for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) employees and partners and their straight allies. With more than 750 members and 12 chapters, our network provides opportunities to participate in career development programs, broaden professional experiences, and build careerenriching relationships, both within and beyond the firm. June, 2013 marks the 10 year anniversary of the network and there is so much to be proud of.

LGBT, GLAM, PRIDE. No matter how you spell it, it signifies sexual perversion. At least Lot had the good sense to shut the door against the sodomites of his city. Vatican City, on the other hand, appears to have opened wide the doors and invited the enemies of holy purity into the inner workings of the Church. Allegations of a Gay Lobby within the Curia abound and now the Vatican hires pro-homosexual activists.

Transparency has been a theme of this papacy but God only knows what true transparency might uncover.