Catholic priest who compares Black Lives Matter movement to ‘parasites and maggots’ is suspended
A CATHOLIC priest who compared the Black Lives Matter movement to “parasites and maggots” has been suspended.
Indianapolis Rev. Theodore Rothrock – of St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in Carmel, Indiana – was suspended from public ministry on Wednesday.
Bishop Timothy Doherty, of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, chose to suspend Rothrock after he wrote controversial comments in the church’s weekly bulletin on Sunday.
Rothrock wrote: “The only lives that matter are their own and the only power they seek is their own.
“They are wolves in wolves clothing, masked thieves and bandits, seeking only to devour the life of the poor and profit from the fear of others.
“They are maggots and parasites at best, feeding off the isolation of addiction and broken families, and offering to replace any current frustration and anxiety with more misery and greater resentment.”
His comments were aimed at leaders of Black Lives Matter – which is a human rights movement that campaigns against systemic racism and violence inflicted on black people.
Rothrock urged churchgoers to go against BLM and Antifa and condemned the removal and destruction of monuments.
His statement continued: “Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and the other nefarious acolytes of their persuasion are not the friends or allies we have been led to believe.
“They are serpents in the garden, seeking only to uproot and replant a new species of human made in the likeness of man and not in the image of God.”
The Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana stated in a public July 1 announcement: “By decree of Bishop Doherty, effective 12 pm noon July 1, 2020 Father Theodore Rothrock is suspended from public ministry according to Canon 1333. The suspension comes in the wake of Father Rothrock’s June 28 bulletin article.
“The Bishop expresses pastoral concern for the affected communities.”
According to the Indianapolis Star, Rothrock sent parishioners an apology on Tuesday night.
He wrote: “It was not my intention to offend anyone, and I am sorry that my words have caused any hurt to anyone” – adding that bigotry must be condemned as it is “a part of the fabric of our society.”
Rothrock’s apology continued: “We must also be fully aware that there are those who would distort the Gospel for their own misguided purposes.
“People are afraid, as I pointed out, rather poorly I would admit, that there are those who feed on that fear to promote more fear and division.”
In addition to Bishop’s call to suspend Rothrock, Carmel Against Racial Injustice – a group founded in Carmel, Indiana to raise awareness of racial injustice and to end systemic racism in their community – is set to have an event this upcoming Sunday.
“While we recognize the bold action that Bishop Dohertey took in response to Father Rothrock’s words, our work is not done.
“We must remain vigilant in our stance that hate has no home at the head of a parish,” the group wrote in a Facebook post.
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