Quote of the Day

. . .  [With regard to the 'marriage amendment'] Minnesota’s Catholic community was divided by robust lay dissent from the official position of the Archdiocese. Catholic leaders, starting with Archbishop Nienstadt, led an energetic (some said heavy handed) effort to approve the amendment. They invested large sums of money. They instructed priests and parochial school teachers about how they in turn should instruct parishioners and students. Several faculty of the Catholic University of St. Thomas published opinion pieces asserting Catholic natural law theology in defense of “traditional marriage.” The archbishop forbade priests from expressing dissent over this basic position.

But many lay Catholics opposed the amendment. Catholics for Marriage Equality MN (C4ME-MN) coordinated efforts to articulate and publish Catholic reasons to support marriage equality. Yard signs boasting “Another Catholic Voting No” were a common sight. Though no exit polls that I know of measured Catholic voting patterns on the amendment, national polls suggest that up to 70 percent of Catholic laity support marriage equality. So the story of the Catholic community in Minnesota’s marriage conversation was not that “the Church” supported the amendment. The story was that official Catholicism supported the amendment, while large numbers of lay Catholics (and some dissident priests) did not. Faith-based concern for justice led many to oppose what they saw as the injustice of the amendment. . . .

– David Booth

"What Happened Here?
Three Observations About Minnesota's Marriage Vote"

MinnPost

November 26, 2012

Quote of the Day

The spirit works . . . not only at the top of the hierarchy but at every level. Many of the people the church now recognizes as saints, as heroes of the church, were originally people who were renounced and condemned. Sometimes, the opinions that are the last to change are at the top.

– Ron Joki

Quoted in Beth Hawkins' article,

"Conflicted Catholics: Consciences Wrestle with Church Actions on Marriage Amendment"

MinnPost

April 18, 2012

Quote of the Day

I welcome the debate on the meaning of marriage and its role and purpose in a liberal diverse society. . . . Surely if there is one constant and common theme throughout the scriptures it is in the gradual discovery and recognition of the reality of God as a God of an inclusive and all-embracing Love whose ultimate expression is found in the Paschal Mystery of Death and Resurrection of his "Word" incarnate, Jesus of Nazareth.

The purpose and mission of the Church, surely, is to be an effective and coherent witness to and expression of that love in our world and our time - however we do it, and in whatever language, for everyone.

. . . Society sees little of that, sadly, when it sees a church hierarchy that all too willingly goes into convulsions when moral issues are called into question but remains silent when faced with the real social scandals of our time.

But I do see it in the people, young and old, who still come faithfully to fill the pews and celebrate the mystery of a love that defies all our definitions and the limits we place on it. I see it in their acts of sacrifice and solidarity, in their innate sense of dignity, justice and a shared and sacred humanity. Perhaps when as a Church we begin to speak about that a bit more, the world will once again sit up and listen.

– Fr Ceirion Gilbert

"Gay Marriage: A War of Words That Obscures the Church's Message"

The Tablet

March 13, 2012

Quote of the Day

Archbishop Vincent Nichols has once again demonstrated sanity and moderation on the place of the Catholic Church in modern society. While there are many loud, outraged voices raised in complaint in the US and in the UK over alleged assaults on religious freedom and of perceived persecution of Christians, Nichols has correctly pointed out that what is happening is not the “persecution” of Christians, but an attempt to separate the legal and cultural life of the country from its Christian roots. He is saying in other words, that what is happening is a removal from the Church of its previously privileged position. This may be deplorable, unfortunate, or welcome – but does not amount to persecution, any more than the removal of apartheid in South Africa represented the persecution of Whites.

– Terence Weldon

"Gay Marriage and the English Catholic Church: More Sanity From Vincent Nichols"

Queering the Church

February 23, 2012

Quote of the Day

The moral issue in my mind is whether there is truth between [a] couple. "Do you love one another for better or for worse?" The sanctity of marriage is based on this same truthfulness. With studies showing heterosexual extramarital affairs ranging anywhere from 15 percent to 50 percent among husbands and about the same varying range for wives, its become sadly irrelevant to talk about the sanctity of marriage in any terms other than how much couples are committed to each other. It seems to be overlooked that gay marriages take work just as heterosexual ones do. Gay marriages can end in divorce just as heterosexual ones can.

It can be a lonely world out there. If two people are fortunate enough to fall in love, then that is among the greatest blessings in life. Putting your heart on the line to become married and stay married has nothing to do with sexual orientation. It has to do with personal values, which are things each of us figures out for ourselves. Heterosexuality is not a virtue on its own – after all, plenty of heterosexuals are terrible at relationships. Being able to experience true love though, is virtuous.

– Kenneth Kales

"Gay Marriage Makes Sense"

The Huffington Post

February 7, 2012

Catholics Lead the Way! – The Latest Statistics on Religious Support for Marriage Equality

. . . A Pew Forum analysis on attitudes toward same-sex marriage by religion released Feb. 7 said Catholics supported same-sex marriage 52 percent to 37 percent, with 11 percent undecided as of an October 2011 survey. That is up from a 46 percent favorable opinion (42 percent unfavorable) in a survey conducted in August and September 2010.

Hispanic Catholics are split, 42 percent to 42 percent, on same-sex marriage, while white Catholics approve of same-sex marriage by a margin of 57 percent to 35 percent.

Overall, same-sex marriage was favored by Americans 46 percent to 44 percent in the 2011 poll; in the 2010 survey, it was opposed 48 percent to 42 percent. The only religious groups remaining opposed to same-sex marriage in the latest survey were white evangelicals, 74 percent to 19 percent, and black Protestants, 62 to 30. Protestants overall remain opposed to gay marriage, 58 to 34.

– Mark Pattison

"Federal Judicial Panel Rules California Proposition 8 Unconstitutional"

Catholic News Service

February 7, 2012

Quote of the Day

. . . While it is true that the Catholic hierarchy in [Maryland] opposed the [marriage equality and gender non-discrimination] bill, the Catholic people did not. A 2009 Greenberg, Quinlan, and Rossner poll revealed that a 49% plurality of Maryland Catholics favor legislative action that would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, with only 42% opposed. Given that this poll is now almost three years old, and that support for marriage equality keeps increasing, especially among Catholics, the statistic of support from that poll has most likely increased.

. . . And while the press identified African-American opposition to the bill as a reason for its downfall, this explanation does not do justice to the amazing amount of support for marriage equality among African-Americans. If you have any doubt about this, visit the website of the Maryland Black Family Alliance.

The same problem plagues both Catholics and African-Americans: while some leaders of these communities are vocally and stridently opposed to marriage equality, the grassroots folks are strongly supportive. . . .

– Francis DeBernardo

"Catholics Are Not the Problem in Maryland—And Neither Are African-Americans"

Bondings 2.0

December 22, 2011