A member of the Greater San Diego Business Association and owner of two gay bars has been denied a funeral at the University of San Diego and in any Catholic church or chapel in the Diocese of San Diego. John McCusker, 31, owner of Club Montage and ReBar, two local gay nightspots, died early March 13. McCusker suffered an apparent heart attack while at the Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort on vacation.
A 1996 graduate of USD, McCusker's family wanted to have the funeral service there, but was denied after church officials received information about him and his businesses.....
Joyce Marieb, executive director of the Greater San Diego Business Association, called McCusker, "a great leader and the kind of guy that people love to see because he gives back and is very generous to the community."
"We all know what this is about," Marieb said, who knew McCusker for the past five and a half years. "They [the Catholic Church] claim they've buried other gay people and that it's because of the bar aspect."
A statement released earlier Thursday by Rodrigo Valdivia, chancellor for the Diocese of San Diego, explains the church's actions.
"The facts regarding the business activity of John McCusker were not known by church officials when arrangements were requested for his funeral. When these facts became known the bishop of San Diego concluded that to avoid public scandal Mr. McCusker can't be granted a funeral in a Catholic church or chapel in the Diocese of San Diego."
So what about McCusker would cause a public scandal?
"His business is adult entertainment, which is inconsistent with Catholic teaching" Valdivia said. "People would be scandalized that the church granted a funeral to a person who had this type of business activity."
No, his business is running two simple bars. I looked the bars up on the Web, have read numerous reviews of them, and guess what - they're apparently just bars. And the second bar, Re:Bar, according to one review, USED to be a dank dark leather club and this guy revamped it to make it modern and hip. If anything, the church should be praising him.
But instead, the bigots running the Catholic church are refusing to given this man a funeral. A funeral! Simply because he owned a couple of gay bars. If he were a pedophile priest raping young boys and girls they would give him a funeral. Hell, they'd give him a promotion. But because he's an upstanding GAY businessman, they won't even give him a funeral.
I am beyond words at the the contempt and loathing I have for the leaders of that so-called church. Aside from the religious right, they are doing their damndest to further the devil's work in the name of God. They truly sicken me.
Feel free to call the Catholic diocese of San Diego and let them know how you feel about their un-Christian hate and bigotry.
