The Catholic Church is demanding Pete Davidson apologize for his recent comments about it in a press release on the Diocese of Brooklyn’s website. The comedian compared the Catholic Church to R. Kelly during the latest episode of ‘SNL,’ appearing on the show’s “Weekend Update” segment to comment on modern “cancel culture.”
“If you support the Catholic Church, isn’t that like the same thing as being an R. Kelly fan?” he quipped during the segment. “I don’t really see the difference, except like one’s music is significantly better.” He asked the question in response to calls for fans of accused predators like Michael Jackson and R. Kelly to cease listening to their music in the wake of highly publicized documentaries detailing their alleged crimes, and R. Kelly’s recent arrest on charges of sexual abuse of minors.
The Diocese of Brooklyn’s Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio released the statement Monday, March 11, criticizing the comedian and seeking to defend the institution from his jabs, which referenced a long history of accusations and cover-ups of abuse. A partial excerpt reads:
The Diocese of Brooklyn is demanding an immediate public apology from “Saturday Night Live” and NBC after Saturday night’s disgraceful and offensive skit in which cast member Pete Davidson, during the Weekend Update segment, said: “If you support the Catholic Church, isn’t that the same thing as being an R. Kelly fan?” The statement clearly shocked the studio audience as gasps could be heard off camera.
Apparently, the only acceptable bias these days is against the Catholic Church. The faithful of our Church are disgusted by the harassment by those in news and entertainment, and this sketch offends millions. The mockery of this difficult time in the Church’s history serves no purpose.
The clergy sex abuse crisis is shameful, and no one should ever get a laugh at the expense of the victims who have suffered irreparably. The Diocese of Brooklyn strives every day to ensure that sexual abuse by clergy never happens again.
The statement goes on to call out “the insensitivity of the writers, producers, and the cast of SNL,” calling their attitudes “alarming.” It also details some of the steps the Church has taken to address its history, including mandatory sexual abuse awareness training for all clergy members, background checks for staff and volunteers, and therapy referrals and support groups for survivors.
