Lennon Cihak Denied Confirmation Because He Supports Marriage Equality

The lesson to be learned is that if you're Catholic, you must be 100% Catholic or face all sorts of troubles; that's the Catholic brand of Christian Charity, I guess.

Lennon Cihak is seventeen; he's not gay, but he is a Catholic. And, during this last election cycle, when Minnesota was trying to add discrimination to its state Constitution, Lennon took to his Facebook page in support of marriage equality. He posted a picture of himself with a political sign he altered to oppose the marriage amendment on Minnesota's ballot.

And he got a bunch of 'Likes'.

What he also got, according to his mother, Shana Cihak, was a smack in the face from Assumption Church in Barnesville when he wasn't allowed to be confirmed. Naturally, as they are apt to do, those wacky Catholic leaders are in denial mode. 

Assumption Reverend Gary LaMoine says Cihak was not denied confirmation because of his Facebook pro-marriage equality stance it was because, well, you know, it was, an "internal and pastoral" matter. Then LaMoine whined that "some people chose to run out into the public and put it out in the media."

But Shana Cihak says she was called into a private conversation with the priest after the Facebook photo was posted and was told her son wouldn't be allowed to complete confirmation.

Hmm, internal and pastoral affair means that if you defy the Catholic Church by having your own mind, your own opinion, because you've changed with the times, you are punished because that's what God wants. 

Lennon, who attends church every week, and volunteered around the community in preparation for his confirmation, says other students in his confirmation class 'Liked' the photo on Facebook, but they were still allowed to be confirmed, and his mother is angry that he is being singled out by the Church.

Lennon's father, Doug Cihak, said the family is not allowed to participate in Communion at Assumption, but he insists he bears no grudge against LaMoine, whom he feels is just a "messenger" of the church.

And, to his credit, Lennon said the experience hasn't altered his faith:

"I don't want the church to be put down. I don't want the Catholic religion to be put down. It's just the way the priest has things running. He's so strict. He won't loosen up about things."

Substitute Pope for priest and you can see that this one church, this one priest, isn’t the problem, it's the entire Catholic faith, which seeks to spread the word of God.

And that word, I’m guessing is Punishment. 

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