Homophobic tensions halt plans for a second Franklin Graham coronavirus hospital in a cathedral
Anti-LGBT+ preacher Franklin Graham at his Central Park coronavirus field hospital. (Franklin Graham/ Twitter)
New York’s coronavirus field hospital, which is run by anti-LGBT+ preacher Franklin Graham, was set to open up a second location but plans have been ditched because of his homophobic views.
The anti-LGBT+ evangelical preacher runs the charity Samaritan’s Purse, which was commissioned last month to build a makeshift tent hospital in New York City’s Central Park.
The Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York City, the oldest Gothic cathedral in the US, was set to become a temporary field hospital amid the coronavirus pandemic, but the plans have been scrapped after the two organisations reached an “impasse”.
Previously, the dean of the cathedral had expressed objections to Graham’s views, but was still intending to collaborate with the organisation.
Reverend Clifton Daniel III told the New York Times earlier this week: “I don’t agree with their position on Muslims and gays and a number of other things, but I am willing to work together with them to save lives.
“I feel like it is sort of like the steward on the Titanic as it is sinking — now is not the time to count the silverware, you have to get people into lifeboats.”
But cathedral spokeswoman told ABC News yesterday that staff had “a really hard time” dealing with the anti-LGBT+ comments by Graham, and had therefore decided not to move forward.
However, a spokesperson for Samaritan’s Purse denied that there had been any tension’s over Graham’s homophobic views, and said: “From our perspective, there are no tensions with the cathedral.”
Franklin Graham is making medical professionals sign an anti-LGBT+ belief statement.
Franklin Graham is calling for Christian medical professionals to volunteer at his Central Park field hospital, and PinkNews confirmed that he is making all applicants sign an anti-LGBT+ belief statement.
Before even detailing their medical credentials during the application process, volunteers are presented with a “Statement of Faith”, which stipulates: “We believe God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, that God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complete each other.
“God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.”
The statement also says that those who stray from the puritanical beliefs will face “damnation and eternal punishment” in Hell.
