Forget that vow of poverty: The Roman Catholic Church has shelled out more than $1 million to fight various marriage-equality initiatives, according to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign.
The study shows that the millennia-old institution has donated more than $1.1 million to anti-equality initiatives, including ones fighting gay-marriage measures in Washington, Maryland and Maine—and one supporting a gay-marriage ban in Minnesota, where it has given more than $608,000 to support a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. (That’s more than half the campaign’s budget.)
Today, the Church is now the top religious donor for anti-equality efforts, with more than $640,000 coming from the Catholic fraternal organization the Knights of Columbus.
Fortunately it looks like gay-rights advocates have been able to raise considerably more funds overall than anti-equality cronies. (HRC has contributed $7.3 million to marriage-equality campaigns in the past 12 months.).
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Given that a majority of everyday Catholics actually support gay marriage, HRC president Chad Griffin says “The Church hierarchy owes the laity an explanation as to why they are spending this much money on discrimination, and at what cost to other crucial Church programs.”
In a statement, Jason Adkins of the Minnesota Catholic Conference replied, “Our marriage amendment activities, like our other activities, are aimed at fostering the common good.”
Thanks but no thanks, pal.
Dumdum
The whore of Babylon aka The Catholic Church like all organized religions namely the Abrahamic ones should be heavily taxed since they involve themselves in politics. Those bi**hes have had a free lunch for too long.
Cam
The Catholic Church’s direct funding and the Mormon Church’s funneling money in through NOM to engage in partisan politics is a direct violation of the tax code that permits them to operate tax free.
The Mormon’s were going to be investigated and Senator Orin Hatch threatened the IRS to get them to stop. Similar things no doubt are preventing investigation of the Catholics.
Why have Tax Law if it isn’t going to be enforced?
Mjl-428
@Cam: then that might be something we need to take care of then. Anyone in Congress and the Senate, or Politics in general that is holding the country’s progress hostage needs to voted out (Republican or Democrat). that should weaken, if not eliminate, the churches’ hold in Politics and possibly give the IRS back its power
which would leave the only other thing we have to worry about being the assholes who are trying to buy this year’s election
Mjl-428
@Mjl-428: and by that second part I mean the Koch Brothers, and people like Donald Trump
2eo
Think of the untold millions they spend to allow hundreds of their members to rape children.
alexoloughlin
Pretty sick when a catholic cult spokesperson says that donating to hate groups is doing something for the common good. How would the rottweiler if donations started to pour in to ban catholicism?
hyhybt
I seem to recall that churches *are* allowed to campaign on issues, just not candidates.
FStratford
@Cam:
To the rich and powerful, the tax law is there so they they can find loopholes and exemptions. We all know that by now. That’s why I wish Obama will simplify the tax laws in his second term.
But that’s Quixotic… I used to think that Republicans will simplify it but based on experience they are more interested in creating loopholes that are accessible only goths rich and make the rest pay for the balance of the budget.
gaym50ish
Now, let’s see, how many Catholic dioceses are in bankruptcy because of sex-abuse settlements that total in the billions? There’s Portland, Tucson, Spokane and Davenport. And then there’s also San Diego, Fairbanks, Wilmington and Milwaukee — all in bankruptcy. Not to mention their MORAL bankruptcy.
You have to wonder where the church’s priorities are, and why its members continue to give money to this church. About 43 percent of its members favor gay marriage, according to a Public Religion Research Institute poll. And when the question was reworded to specify “civil marriage” the percentage in favor jumped to 71 percent — which seems to indicate they favor up but are being misled about what it means to their church.
They should all sue to get their money back.
mlbumiller
My veiw: No religious organization in this country should be allow to send funds to any political cause or candidate. They need to keep their view’s out political arena. If they do decide to meddle in politics, then they should lose then non-profit status. The government has to stay out of their business then they need to stay out of government’s business. Isn’t that what the 1st Amendment was created, to keep government from endorsing any specific religious views to take precedence or rule the land, Shouldn’t the reverse then be held true?