Former Vice President Mike Pence said it’s “deeply offensive” for the Los Angeles Dodgers to reinvite LGBTQ group the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to participate in its Pride Night festivities.
“Having been raised in a Catholic family, the Dodgers decision to invite the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a hateful group that blatantly mocks Catholicism, to their event next month is deeply offensive,” Pence wrote in a tweet Tuesday.
Pence, a 2024 GOP presidential hopeful, also noted the MLB’s recent move in 2021 when the league moved its annual All-Star game from Atlanta to Denver after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed a voting restriction bill into law that April, which drew backlash from critics citing it as the new Jim Crow.
“The MLB should not be apologizing to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, they should be apologizing to Catholics across America,” Pence added. “America’s pastime should respect the faith of every American no matter what.”
Pence’s remarks come as the Dodgers announced last week that the team reinvited LGBTQ group the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to participate in its Pride Night festivities next month after receiving backlash for their initial decision to uninvite the group.
The Dodgers initially uninvited the group from their Pride Night event, saying in a statement at that time that the decision was made due to “the strong feelings of people who have been offended by the sisters’ inclusion in our evening.”
That decision came after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) sent a letter to Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred earlier this month, objecting to the group’s award, saying the team was giving an award to a group that “intentionally mocks and degrades” Christians and nuns.
The team’s decision to reinvite the group also drew the ire of star Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who told the Los Angeles Times that the decision prompted him to ask the team’s upper management to expedite the announcement that Christian Faith and Family Day was coming back this season.
“This has nothing to do with the LGBTQ community or Pride or anything like that,” the three-time Cy Young Award winner said. “This is simply a group that was making fun of a religion, that I don’t agree with.”