Religious Left: Sen. Tim Kaine, Democratic vice-presidential candidate and former Virginia governor, says the Catholic Church will one day reverse its opposition to homosexual “marriage.” He interprets the Old Testament Book of Genesis to affirm homosexuals (“gays and lesbians”) as part of God’s good and diverse creation.

In a speech September 10 before the Human Rights Campaign, the world’s most powerful and well-funded LGBTQ lobby organization, Democratic vice-presidential candidate Sen. Tim Kaine reinterprets the Bible to affirm homosexual “diversity,” and said he expects that the Roman Catholic Church to which he belongs will one day reverse its opposition to homosexuality-based “marriage.”

Here are some key positions in the speech by Kaine, who describes himself as a “devout Catholic” and who has routinely been described as such by media (a transcript of which is beneath the video):

• HRC President Chad Griffin describes the Hillary Clinton-Tim Kaine ticket as espousing “the most pro-equality [pro-homosexual/-transgender] agenda of any presidential ticked in the history of our country”;
• Kaine said, “how happy I was” when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of homosexual “marriage” in the June 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision; 
• Echoing and building upon Pope Francis’ statement, “Who am I to judge?” Kaine said he would add: “‘Who am I to challenge God for the beautiful diversity of the human family?’ I think we are supposed to celebrate it, not challenge it.”
• Kaine pledged to “take on any stigmatization of HIV criminalization laws that still exist here and around the world.” Such laws punish people who intentionally or recklessly infect others with HIV.
• Kaine mocked Donald Trump for selling “LGBTQ for Trump” t-shirts while making LGBTQ matters a “non-issue” in his campaign;
• He criticized Trump for pledging to appoint “very conservative judges to the Supreme Court, and said “opposes basic protections from discrimination for transgender Americans”; 
• Kaine affirmed homosexual/transgender youth “exactly as they are”and said he is deeply offended by “conversion therapy” (pro-heterosexual change therapy) “as a father and a human being.”

The following is a full transcript of the speech by Sen. Tim Kaine at the annual national dinner of the Human Rights Campaign. Introducing Kaine is HRC President Chad Griffin. This is adapted from a YouTube transcript (emphasis added by AFTAH):

[Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin:] Now, at a time when Donald Trump and Mike Pence are embracing bigotry and bluster and using fear to stir up votes,  our guest tonight is a champion of the values that have always made America great —  values like equality, justice, and the equal dignity of each and every American.

Democratic vice-presidential candidate and former Virginia governor Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) addressed the Human Rights Campaign national dinner September 10, 2016. Kaine, who calls himself a “devout” Catholic, said he believes the Catholic Church will one day embrace homosexual “marriage”–a claim rejected by his own bishop three days after Kaine’s HRC speech (see statement below).

The following statement was released by the Roman Catholic Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo of the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia–after self-described “devout” Catholic. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, said that he believes the Catholic Church will one day recognize homosexual “marriage.” Sen. Kaine made the comment in a campaign speech September 10, 2016 at the Human Rights Campaign, the world’s largest and best-funded homosexual-bisexual-transgender lobby organization.

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For Immediate Release: September 13, 2016

Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo Statement on
The Catholic Church’s Teaching Regarding Marriage

“More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage, and despite recent statements from the campaign trail, the Catholic Church’s 2000-year-old teaching to the truth about what constitutes marriage remains unchanged and resolute.

“As Catholics, we believe, all humans warrant dignity and deserve love and respect, and unjust discrimination is always wrong. Our understanding of marriage, however, is a matter of justice and fidelity to our Creator’s original design. Marriage is the only institution uniting one man and one woman with each other and with any child who comes from their union. Redefining marriage furthers no one’s rights, least of all those of children, who should not purposely be deprived of the right to be nurtured and loved by a mother and a father.

“We call on Catholics and all those concerned for preserving this sacred union to unite in prayer, to live and speak out with compassion and charity about the true nature of marriage – the heart of family life.”

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