In light of a recent petition launched by Ashlie Langlinais requesting that the Diocese of Lafayette remove Fr. Andre Metrejean from his pastorship of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Erath, LA, because of alleged homophobic and racist comments, this counter-petition intends to correct the slander unjustly thrust upon this faithful priest and demonstrate that the majority of Christians in his parish and beyond uphold perennial Church teaching and stand behind this bold leader of the People of God.

The original petition can be found here.

https://www.change.org/p/diocese-of-lafayette-request-to-remove-father-metrejean-from-our-lady-of-lourdes-catholic-church?recruiter=766057762&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=share_petition&recruited_by_id=0a10c3f0-8833-11e7-8c14-2149e5d88724&utm_content=fht-23261999-en-us%3A2

The controversy initially began with a Facebook post wherein Fr. Metrejean made a statement regarding the New Orleans Saints' support of LGBT Pride Month. The post, which has since been taken down in order to prevent hateful rhetoric in the comments, read as follows:

"Come on NOLA Saints. We want to support you. But this kind of stunt hurts society and souls. Don't bow down to these pressure groups. Kids have rights. Children deserve to have a dad and a mom. Plz dont support immorality. Cancel the PC Culture."

Fr. Metrejean then posted an audio recording wherein he explained how the Church's position on sexual activity is rooted in love of neighbor and furthermore expressed his own love for all people and his desire for all to be united with Jesus Christ.

“My parish, my Church, my Bible, my Catholic tradition, my Lord, we don’t hate you, we love you. That's why we preach what we do. This is not about exclusion, this is not about judging others, this is about saving souls and bringing people the power of the blood of Christ”

This statement, which sounds very much like what any true believer in Jesus Christ would say, is in fact one that is rooted in genuine love, not hate. In spite of one's own potential disagreements with the teachings of the Catholic Church, nothing that Fr. Metrejean stated on Facebook or in his recording is hateful, and to claim otherwise is an unabashed attack on his good character.

The initial developments of the situation and the audio recording can be found in the following article.

(https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/catholic-priest-defends-criticism-of-pride-celebrations-this-is-about-saving-souls 

The petition begun by Langlinais also claims that Fr. Metrejean has “expressed racist sentiments,” citing a phone conversation held between a parishioner and the priest regarding COVID-19 protocols in the parish. Fr. Metrejean is quoted as saying, “This is not really something we need to worry about since the virus only affects Black people.”

We hold this quote as dubious and at best a paraphrase taken wholly out of context. In the lengthy conversation held concerning precautions against the virus back in early May, Fr. Metrejean mentioned that some of his priest friends found that their black parishes were severely affected. The statistical vulnerability of African Americans in particular has even been published by the CDC. Furthermore, for those who know Fr. Metrejean, the idea that this man is racist is an absurd one. Throughout his ministry as pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes, he has actively given a platform to the voices of black Catholics in the community by the organization of annual MLK celebrations presenting faithful black Catholic speakers. He has also hosted a conference specifically honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, which featured speakers who are black leaders in the Catholic community, such as Bishop Joseph Perry and theologian David L. Gray.

Fr. Metrejean has compassionately preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and does not deserve to be removed from his parish.

Though Fr. Metrejean surely counts it a blessing to be persecuted in the name of Christ in accord with the Beatitudes, we as Christians cannot stand idly by as a just man is unjustly torn down. We especially cannot remain silent when our own Father, a true Father who has done so much for the people of Erath, is calumniated by the media.

Please consider signing this petition in support of Fr. Metrejean.