Pope Ratzinger recently saw fit to revoke the 1988 excommunication of Bishop Richard Williamson, who in a televised interview last week cited that “historical evidence” contradicted the idea that Jews were gassed during the Holocaust… that there were “no gas chambers at all.” Really?
Really.
Since the televised interview restrictions have been placed on Bishop Williamson, prohibiting him from “speaking in public on political or historic questions.” He shouldn’t be allowed to preach in front of sheep either.
San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer has finally decided to speak out on his website, defending the church’s actions in helping pass Proposition 8, which denied marriage equality to all Californians, and placed marriages like ours in jeopardy.
“Religious leaders in America have the constitutional right to speak out on issues of public policy. Catholic bishops, specifically, also have a responsibility to teach the faith, and our beliefs about marriage and family are part of this faith.”
and…
“Members of churches who supported Proposition 8 sincerely believe that defining marriage as only between a man and a woman is one such issue. They see marriage and the family as the basic building blocks of human society, existing before government and not created by it. Marriage is for us the ideal relationship between a man and woman, in which, through their unique sexual complementarity, the spouses offer themselves to God as co-creators of new human persons, a father and mother giving them life and enabling them to thrive in the family setting.”
Bill May, Chairman for Catholics for the Common Good, who played a crucial role in getting Catholics behind Proposition 8, supported the Archbishop’s statement, which described “strong and legitimate reasons for supporting marriage between a man and a woman.”
May also went on to say that Niederauer “is a very loving person,” and “he expresses the teachings of the church in a very pastoral way. He is expressing the fundamental understanding of the Catholic Church that every human person has intrinsic dignity that must be respected.”
Except of course, when it comes to the intrinsic dignity and respect same-sex couples deserve.
Archbishop Niederauer who previously served as a Bishop in Salt Lake City, actively recruited the Mormon church to get involved in supporting Proposition 8 which would not have passed without their help.
In the video below the Archbishop enlightens us on the importance of marriage between one man, and one woman.
Despite a last minute push by the Connecticut Catholic Conference which paid for last minute television advertising, Connecticut voters on November 4th rejected a constitutional convention that could take away the right of marriage equality from all its citizens. And those same-sex marriages begin today.
Below is the ad funded by the Connecticut Catholic Conference.
“The Church has been like the cavalry coming over the hill with guns blazing,” said Peter Wolfgang, executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut, which supported the convention. “The other side was outspending us 83 to 1. The only thing that leveled it out is the Catholic Church.”
And to be fair, here is the ad run by those opposing a constitutional convention.
One observation: At least they had the courage to mention “gay marriage” in their advertising, unlike California.
So while Question 1 failed, it’s still a sad reminder of how pervasive this movement really is, as Mormons, Catholics and other faith-based groups pressure states to adopt discrimination into their constitutions, banning same-sex marriage. We just lost our rights to marry in California, thanks to that effort, in great part to the Mormon church, and to a lesser degree Catholics, who invited the Mormons to join the fray back in June. Rights were also lost in Florida and Arizona on November 4th, as well as a number of other states in previous elections.
While I’m happy for the people of Connecticut who made a stand and didn’t let fear get in the way of equal rights, I wonder if more money had been spent in support of the constitutional convention, would gay men and women still be saying “I do” today.
While the Mormons have received the majority of press for their financial support of Proposition 8 (over $20 million), Catholics and the Catholic Church have also played a major role in its passage.
Catholics for the Common Good (CCG) based in Daly City just outside of San Francisco, mobilized local Catholics through prayer, education, fundraising and volunteering to pass Proposition 8. Catholics also played a large role in the passage of Proposition 22 in 2000 which defined marriage as being between one man and one woman.
CCG is chaired by founder Bill (William) May, a professor of Moral Theology who also serves as a chair for Catholics for Protectmarriage.com. May has also appeared on various media outlets throughout the SF Bay area speaking against Proposition 8.
In an interview with the Catholic Voice in early September 2008, May said, “We’re asking people to volunteer to help in parishes, to participate in telephoning, talking with neighbors. This is a really important issue. Marriage is the foundation of the family. People are very upset that the Supreme Court overruled the will of the people.”
Also in September, May sent out a plea to Catholics urging them to make sacrifices and re-order priorities, recruit volunteers and acquire and distribute yard signs.
May appears in the television clips below.
In addition to supporting traditional over same-sex marriage, May also rejected adoption by same-sex couples in 2006, then performed by Catholic Charities of San Francisco. May cited an official Vatican document that stated “Allowing children to be adopted by persons living in such unions would actually mean doing violence to these children, in the sense that their condition of dependency would be used to place them in an environment that is not conducive to their full human development.” and are “Gravely immoral.”
“At this point we are beyond tolerance and acceptance, and we are now facing compliance and obedience to a new standard of marriage, of the human person. People have been tolerant and accepting as a culture – but this law, this court decision, has changed the standard and created a new one… Catholics and others who understand the meaning and nature of marriage will be counter-cultural and seen as discriminatory or bigoted. It opens the way for lawsuits and challenges to tax exemption.
“The stakes are high. We are battling for the survival of the family as we know it, as God established it… Proposition 8, the Marriage Protection Act, is the most important thing that has ever been on the ballot in California history! People around the world are watching carefully.”
It’s clear now that the strong push by Catholics of ProtectMarriage.com and other Catholics groups were ultimately successful. In a field poll one week prior to the election, Catholics accounted for 24% of the electorate, voting 44% Yes on 8. Exit polls on election day showed Catholics accounting for 30% of the electorate and 64% voting Yes on 8, an increase of 20%.
Assuming the projections in the exit polls hold across the entire voting population, of the 10.3 million Californians who voted, approximate 3 million were Catholic, and nearly 2 million of those voted Yes on Proposition 8. That’s a 1 million voter difference in the final week prior to election day.
By comparison, in CNN exit polls African Americans accounted for 1 million of the Californian voting electorate, 70% voting Yes, or seven hundred thousand voters.
Many believe the high voter turnout of African Americans led to the passage of Proposition 8. What about the Catholics?
San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer has finally decided to speak out on his website, defending the church’s actions in helping pass Proposition 8, which denied marriage equality to all Californians, and placed marriages like ours in jeopardy.
CCG is chaired by founder Bill (William) May, a professor of Moral Theology who also serves as a chair for Catholics for Protectmarriage.com. May has also appeared on various media outlets throughout the SF Bay area speaking against Proposition 8.