Is it just me, or are these news items becoming a daily occurrence?
Here’s the latest, courtesy of Joe.My.God: the office of Baltimore Cardinal Edwin O’Brien is requiring that a pro-marriage discrimination letter, authored by the cardinal himself, be read aloud at Mass as part of a weekend petition drive to collect the signatures needed to ensure that a statewide referendum to overturn Maryland’s new marriage equality law makes it onto the ballot in November.
The cardinal addresses Catholics directly in the letter: “Today after Mass, you will have the opportunity to sign this [marriage discrimination] petition, and I strongly encourage you to do so.” Later, he falls back on the anti-LGBT fear-mongering that seems to have become priority #1 for Catholic leaders, saying that the “Church’s understanding about marriage” is being “deeply threatened” by the specter of marriage equality. (Funny, I thought the only thing being threatened by marriage equality was the ability of churches to write their religious dogmas into civil law, but I must have missed something…)
And just in case there are any rogue priests who would rather not use the Mass as a pretext to stir up division and hatred against LGBT people — or simply wish to respect the consciences of the 71% of Catholics who support marriage equality — the heading on the cardinal’s letter leaves no room for interpretation: “To be read at Masses the weekend of the petition drive.”
That’s not a request, that’s an order.
Gay marriage: Pope representatives calls for Catholic alliance with Muslim and Jewish groups
The Pope’s representative in Britain has urged Roman Catholic leaders to form a united front with their Muslim and Jewish counterparts to oppose gay marriage.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9232269/Gay-marriage-Pope-representatives-calls-for-Catholic-alliance-with-Muslim-and-Jewish-groups.html
Italy finally ready to recognise the suffering of gays in Holocaust camp
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/italy-finally-ready-to-recognise-the-suffering-of-gays-in-holocaust-camp-487521.html
Yet these leaders have accepted tax-free status to spread their politics and guilt masses of people (yes, pun intended) into voting their way. Talk about special rights! Even the lack of respect for their priests’ ability to decide on what needs preaching and their congregants’ ability to think is beyond insulting. I don’t know how this will affect votes in the short term, but I have an idea of how membership will be affected in the long term.
Oh, let that letter be read at Mass. Let’s see how he feels when 71% of the members of the Catholic churches walk out and leave the faith!
As Jon Stewart said: oh, gays: is there no one you can’t unite?
When are the “religious right” and the Catholic Church going to get it … Don’t force YOUR religious beliefs on me or my religion! Many years ago, my church prayerfully considered and reflected on this issue and have come to a separate conclusion – that the bible doesn’t forbid gays from having healthy commitments and that should be honored, just like straight couples. My pastor married my husband and I in 2003. He is my husband; you cannot take that from me; you cannot change our religious beliefs, you cannot make it otherwise. And how dare you make YOUR religious beliefs the law of the land.
Amen, AlexND. I’m hoping this stunt leads more pro-LGBT Catholics to vote with their feet.
I’m totally disgusted that the IRS continues to allow the Roman Catholic Church to engage in blatant political activism without consequence to their tax exempt status. DISGUSTED!
As much as I abhor what the Catholic church is doing, they are not violating their tax free status. 501c3 tax free organizations are allowed to engage in issue advocacy activities. They are not allowed to campaign for partisan or individual candidates.
The biggest threat to Sexual Minorities is Pope Ratzinger. We must defeat the this dangerous Pope and not allow the leader of this Sovereign Nation to subvert our democracy.
One of you guys at Truth Wins Out needs to have an area of focus be the Catholic Leadership. Own it. And expose it.
You need to really focus on the Catholics. Catholic NOM is not a coincidence. One of you guys focus on the Catholics and expose their evil hand every time you see it move.
As far back as one can imagine to primitive times on into the pagan era then to Christianity, religion was created and used to control the thinking and steer the actions of people. It can be used for good, which is supposed to be the core of modern Christianity, or, as is more likely, used as a weapon against someone or group that the leadership doesn’t like for whatever reasons. WE have been the lucky ones for the past several decades. This is where their love of the Constitution of the United States comes into direct conflict with their “deeply held religious beliefs”. Guess what? The Constitution loses. There is no way they can twist their beliefs to reconcile our legal equality. In order to do that, they would have to pull their religion back to it’s core of saving souls and all the other caring and helpful good deeds they are supposed to work for. Not going to happen for them. The law is our only way to equality.