Two words immediately came to mind…
 
Spiritual insurrection.
 
That’s exactly what happened last Thursday inside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. While it didn’t involve physical violence, it did involve spiritual violence – a blatant rebellion, not against flesh and blood, but against the sacred.
 
Another day, another outrage.
 
What can be done?
 
This morning we announced that we have sent two letters to both the Attorney General of New York and the District Attorney of New York County. We are demanding that they open an investigation into what was likely a hate crime.
 
Our team did their research. We discovered that the New York Hate Crimes Act prohibits persons from selecting a victim based on their belief or perception regarding religion or religious practice. Why did they choose a Catholic church? Why not a Protestant church, Jewish synagogue, or mosque?
 
You and I know exactly why they chose St. Patrick’s.
 
They mocked our saints. They mocked our prayers. They danced in the aisles and desecrated a cathedral that was paid for with the contributions of thousands of poor, faithful Catholic immigrants.
 
They also lied and misled church officials about what they had planned. Trans activists told the New York Times they kept their true intentions “under wraps.” And in a separate video in advance of the service, the service organizer bragged and laughed about how they had deceived the church.

In New York, criminal trespass based on a religion or religious practice is a hate crime. And New York’s courts have recognized that those who gain access to property by deception are liable for criminal trespass.
 
Will law enforcement officials act?
 
We’re not naive. The New York Attorney General is Letitia James. And the District Attorney is Alvin Bragg. They are best known for their decision to prosecute Donald Trump in what many believe is a politically-motivated witch hunt.
 
If they refuse to even investigate, let alone prosecute these anti-Catholic trans activists, their claims of impartiality will be further questioned. Does the law change based on the political ideology of the offender or victim?
 
We’re about to find out.
 
Here’s what I do know:
 
When left-wing activists get away with something, it emboldens them. When our Catholic churches came under attack by pro-abortion domestic extremists in the weeks following the Dobbs leak, copycat crimes spread throughout the country — and continue unabated to this day.
 
If we don’t do everything we can to fight back against this assault on our Church, we can expect it only to get worse.
 
One last thing…
 
I know one question is bothering people.
 
Did the cathedral staff know or fail to do their jobs? How did this happen without raising any suspicions?
 
I’m willing to take Cardinal Dolan at his word that nobody knew. And I am certainly glad he ordered a Mass of Reparation to be said. Could the church have done more to prevent this? Of course. Was it innocent negligence or acquiescence to the pressures of the trans activists? We simply don’t know. We have been told Cardinal Dolan is deeply distraught over what happened. Certainly some changes are needed.
 
What’s important is what they do about it now.
 
The Archdiocese must echo our call for the District Attorney and the Attorney General to act.
 
If they were truly deceived, there are grounds for an investigation into what was indeed a hate crime.
 
Thank you, as always for helping us do this important work.
 
Stay tuned.
 
Brian

P.S. The cornerstone of St. Patrick’s was laid in 1858. In a ceremony at Old St. Patrick’s in the city, Archbishop Hughes announced the new cathedral would be built “for the glory of Almighty God, for the honor of the Blessed and Immaculate Virgin, for the exaltation of Holy Mother Church, for the dignity of our ancient and glorious Catholic name…”
 
Nothing motivates me more than defending this legacy of devotion to our Church.
 
Thank you for standing with us.
 
I promise you we will not rest until every last option is exhausted.