The Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III joined Boston Public Radio for their regular Monday feature, "All Revved Up." Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist who writes for Huffington Post and Bay Windows. Price is a professor of music at Northeastern University, and author of The Black Church and Hip Hop Culture.
Questions are paraphrased, and answers are edited where noted [...].
St. Frances X. Cabrini occupants have been ordered to vacate by June 5th after occupying the church for more than a decade. Do you agree with the judge's ruling?
Irene Monroe: That's a thriving local parish church. But we know what the real issue is — property. Coastal property.
Emmett Price: They lost. I think these individuals in this church are heroes. [...] Frances Xavier Cabrini was a phenomenal woman who founded 67 different missionary institutions to help the sick and the poor. [...] How can the diocese really defame the name of this great woman in the name of the church? This is insane.
IM: [Parishioners are saying], sell us the church and set us free!
Do you think authorities will have to drag out the occupiers?
EP: I think they're going to have to because remember, last Friday was the deadline, and the judge extended it for another week begging for these folks to remove themselves.
IM: I can't see it because that's just going to be a pure nightmare. [...] They really can't afford to have this kind of public spectacle on the news.
And you don't think opponents of the sale are going to give up easily?
EP: No.
IM: Of course not. As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to go down there and join them! [Pope Francis] says we need to 'govern with our hearts.' [...] What's the debacle here? It's that this church wants to stay alive. [...] Who do you turn to when the church [can't help]? It could be laity-run, and they seem to have the financial wherewithal to do it.
Last week Ireland passed a referendum legalizing gay marriage. The Vatican called the vote a 'defeat for humanity.' Do you think the church will come around on this?
IM: I'm not buying it. That's pretty much it. [...] It's really interesting here. Ireland is to me the most Roman Catholic countries in the world. If they can vote yes, then our Supreme Court justices should be able to vote yes.
So how did this happen, that such a staunchly-Catholic nation went against its church and voted in favor of same-sex marriage?
IM: A lot of Catholics now in Ireland are cultural Catholics, they're not practicing Catholics. [...] We have a Millenial generation now who's not going to church. [...] The [Catholic Church] better get with the program. It's sort of like what Bill Gates said of the Boy Scouts — it's no longer sustainable to be anti-gay.
Does this send an unmistakable message to the Catholic Church?
EP: I think so, I think it has to trickle up. [...] The reality, is the movement is happening. It will happen.
IM: The 'movement' is the green movement, where money talks, and the other stuff doesn't. [Pope Francis] is an empire-builder.
What do you make of Pope Francis saying he hasn't watched TV since 1990?
IM: Well, that's obvious, that's real obvious. He didn't see Will & Grace.
EP: I don't think it's a good thing. I think it's aspirational because there's a lot of mess on TV, ... [but you need to know] what people are watching.
IM: I'm turning off my television.
You can hear the Revs every Monday on BPR around 1 PM. Follow Rev. Monroe here on Twitter, and follow Rev. Price here.
