Perhaps anticipating another loss, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is calling on the faithful to break out the sackcloth and ashes as they await the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality. In a letter distributed to parish churches nationwide, the Conference urged Catholics to “pray, fast and sacrifice” to send a message to the Court.
“A broad negative ruling could redefine marriage in the law throughout the entire country, becoming the ‘Roe v. Wade’ of marriage,” according to the bishops. “The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has joined with many other organizations in urging the Supreme Court to uphold both DOMA and Proposition 8 and thereby to recognize the essential, irreplaceable contribution that husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, make to society and especially to children.” Unfortunately for the bishops, their list doesn’t include many Fortune 500 companies, 15 states or 212 members of Congress.
The list also wouldn’t include many of the people sitting in the pews. Polls repeatedly show more Catholics favor marriage equality than oppose it and in the words of one pollster are ” leading American voters toward support for same-sex marriage.”
The Conference is headed by New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who has shown his compassion for the LGBT community by taking a leading role in decrying the outbreak of antigay violence in the city.
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Undeterred by reality, the bishops are also planning another Fortnight for Freedom, a two-week period of religious services, prayer rallies and all-around celebration of Catholic victimhood in the face of expanded civil rights.
Kangol
GAG! Here they go again. They need to stop this hatefulness now.
Why is Dolan always so fixated on gay sexuality? Why isn’t he decrying income equality or the mistreatment of the poor and hungry, or the lack of health care for the sick, or the high cost of medical care, all things that appear in the Holy Gospels? Not once, not a single instance, does Jesus Christ ever mention or talk about homosexuality or sexual difference, yet Cardinal Dolan, who protected pedophile priests, is obsessed with it and with attacking gay people.
Hasn’t Dolan learned anything for the positive example Pope Francis is setting?
Ultimately Cardinal Dolan needs to come out of the closet. Or be outed, as Cardinal Egan was, by another priest.
petensfo
His Excellency, as he had the TODAY show interviewers refer to him while in Rome a while back, is a hubris-filled, gas-bag. While they busily point fingers at gay people & cry ‘what about the children?’, they never fully explain their own complicity for decades of abuse, across parishes, nations, & continents. And further never offer a reason why gay couples don’t deserve equal protection under law & why the Katholic Khurch Kulture should have any say regardless. Am I to assume that Katholics are prepared to start following the mandates of other religions as well? Doubtful.
How anyone continues to walk through their doors is absolutely beyond me.
Kieran
If only the US Catholic hierarchy could show as much zeal praying and fasting for
peace and an end to America’s senseless “Shock & Awe” Wars that have killed tens of thousands rather than opposing basic equality for American citizens who happen to be gay.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the Peacemakers”—NOT “Blessed are the Homophobes”.
2eo
I wish all the catholic preachers would follow this mans example.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E37cMtCrKoA
Please also film it, it will be hilarious, as opposed to the video which is horrific, tragic and utterly awful in every way.
Box
The Catholic churches stance on DOMA sickens me. I was raised Catholic, and held in their for years, but not any more. They should focus inward to stamping out child-rape in their own ranks…
Jesus, who was supposed to clarify Gods commandments, never said 1 thing about gays, and their is evidence that his best friend, St. John, may have been gay.
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.” ~Mahatma Gandhi
Deepdow
It’s shameful how closeted gay men a.k.a. the catholic clergy behave. They don’t know anything about history either.
tdx3fan
@petensfo: Its funny how we have come so full circle. The KKK was actually highly supported by Protestant religions because it attacked the Catholic Church. Now they are pretty much in bed with the Catholic Church because they attack LGBT. Seems the church never learns a damn thing!
tdx3fan
@Box: There is evidence that Jesus himself (according to the texts) might have liked a few boys on the side.
http://www.petertatchell.net/religion/jesus.htm
ouragannyc
When I talk to my catholic friends, some of them do believe that gay rights are taking away their rights. They do feel persecuted.
Poor babies…
Charli Girl
You guys crack me up!!!!
JohnMc888
The Catholic Bishops Traveling Clown Show rolls on. Poor things, they’re so misunderstood.
Billysees
I don’t see why the CC just doesn’t go along with “fair, good and sensible” things concerning LGBT folks.
Namely Gay acceptance which can’t be that difficult for them to be an advocate of.
And it’s more than just friendship.
” It’s not good for a man to live alone “, the Book says.
So Gay marriage is the “perfect answer” for that scripture verse.
1EqualityUSA
Again, the Catholic Church is attaching abortion, a completely different situation, to equality. Really dark and it doesn’t fly.