Dodgers announce 'Christian Faith' event following Pride Night controversy
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers and pitcher Clayton Kershaw announced Friday the team will host Christian Faith and Family Day.
"Excited to announce the relaunch of Christian Faith and Family Day at Dodger Stadium on July 30th," Kershaw tweeted. "More details to come - but we are grateful for the opportunity to talk about Jesus and determined to make it bigger and better than it was before COVID. Hope to see you on July 30th!"
Another tweet by the Dodgers invited fans to "stay after the game to celebrate and be part of a day of worship."
The faith-themed event was last held in 2019.
The announcement comes after the Dodgers invited, then disinvited and later re-invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to its June 16 Pride Night.
RELATED: Dodgers re-invite Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to Pride Night
The Sisters, a group of mainly men who dress as nuns, is a charity, protest and performance group founded in 1979 in San Francisco. Its Los Angeles chapter was to be honored by the Dodgers for Pride Night.
However, the Dodgers announced that they had removed the Sisters from the group of Pride Night honorees, citing "the strong feelings of people who have been offended" by them.
That followed a backlash from some conservative Roman Catholics and politicians, including U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who accused the group of mocking nuns and the Christian faith.
The group denied it was anti-Catholic. On its website, the group said it uses "humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit."
However, the Dodgers' decision to disinvite the group sparked its own backlash from LGBTQIA+ groups around the country, with some deciding to pull out of Pride Night.
On Monday, the Dodgers re-invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and issued an apology to the group.
"After much thoughtful feedback from our diverse communities, honest conversations within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and generous discussions with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Los Angeles Dodgers would like to offer our sincerest apologies to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, members of the LGBTQ+ community and their friends and families," the Dodgers said in a statement earlier this week.
The team also said the Sisters have accepted their invitation.
ESPN contributed to this report.
Source: KABC-TV
