Anne Rice tells gay son, Christopher: My 12-year study showed Catholic Church ‘was dishonorable, dishonest… immoral’ [video]
”That was a Catholic who wrote to me. She is very upset that I left the Catholic Church, and she writes e-mail after e-mail, and she said, ‘You have no concept of the Holy. How could you watch a Satanic show like True Blood?’ And I wrote back, ‘Vampires don’t exist. Don’t worry about this.”’
Novelist Anne Rice speaking with her son, Christopher Rice, in an amazing interview for The Advocate. (Advocate)
In July 29, 2010, Anne Rice rocked her fan base by denouncing the Catholic Church and saying she was no longer a “Christian” — not the type that is molded by organized religion — yet she said she remained committed to Jesus.
Rice is an author of numerous books about supernatural creatures (vampires, witches, mummies) and erotica; and years ago she abandoned that material to pursue a spiritual reconciliation with the Catholic Church. She then began writing successful novels about the life and times of Jesus Christ. That left many of her long-time fans (gay and otherwise) feeling like she had, in some way, abandoned them, too.
In this interview, the famously outspoken writer explains how she was surprised by the world-wide reaction to her exit from the church. Rice gives her gay son a number reasons about why she thinks the Catholic Church’s misguided belief system is hell-bent on suppressing gay people and gay families:
- ”The vast majority of [e-mails] I got were from believers who had also walked away from organized religion…. The second biggest group I got were from Christians who were [gay-] inclusive…. That was an eye opener. I didn’t know there were all those denominations.”
- ”I am completely confident that gays are winning the battle for equal rights in our country. And that the battle for same-sex marriage will be won. And that Don’t Ask, Don’t tell is going down.”
- ”I hadn’t been a Catholic for 38 years, so I began to study it. I began to live it…. And I came to the conclusion 12 years later that it was not a fine religion, that it was dishonorable, that it was dishonest, that it’s theology was largely sophistry… and that it was basically a church that told lies. And that it was for me, for my conscientious standpoint, an immoral church; and I had to leave it.”
- ”They’re very eager to blame the liberals, but the liberals have had no power in the Church all these years. And 75% of the priesthood and the hierarchy are gay.”
- ”There are some Catholics who are actually going around, like Bill Donohue, the disreputable spokesman for the Catholic League…. saying that a 15-year-old boy is complicit. He’s actually saying that 15-year-old children do not — they’re not entitled to protection under the law.”
- ”The main reason I think Christians and Catholics are going through this crisis with gay culture is they cannot face the reality … that good, wholesome, productive gay people exist in all walks of life…. They are at war with information. They’re at war with data. They can’t bear that thought that two good gay people could have two adopted children, and get up before an altar or a judge and exchange vows and live a good family life.”
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
