Last month -- just a week before the president announced his support for marriage equality -- I had the privilege of hearing Governors Chris Gregoire of Washington and Martin O'Malley of Maryland speak (at the Human Rights Campaign [HRC] offices in Washington DC) about their hard-fought battles to secure marriage equality in their respective states. To listen to these two Catholic politicians eloquently and passionately defend the right of same-sex couples to get married in the eyes of the state was a wonderfully refreshing and genuinely empowering experience. And it made me proud to be Catholic especially at a time when many American bishops are ratcheting up -- in truly unprecedented ways -- their divisive and un-Christian attacks on queer people.
What should we make of the fact that five Catholic governors have come out in support of marriage equality? To date -- in addition to Gregoire and O'Malley -- former Governor John Baldacci of Maine, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, and Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire have all worked to extend the civil right of marriage to their lesbian and gay constituents and all of them are practicing Catholics.
With the news full of stories about Catholic bishops lining up (and often coughing up millions of dollars) to deny marriage equality to same-sex couples, it is indeed remarkable to see these five governors do the right thing and advance significantly one of the most important social justice movements in our country today. And their actions find firm theological support (surprising to many) in the rich Catholic tradition of social justice which is rooted in centuries-old church teachings on the dignity of the human person and the duty of the individual to follow her/his conscience in all matters (see, for instance, The Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom [1965]: §2 and §3).
Perhaps the most eloquent explanations of how her Catholic faith played an important role in her decision to defend marriage equality comes from Governor Gregoire who had initially opposed, on religious grounds, civil marriage for lesbian and gay couples. Speaking in a television interview on Seattle's KING Channel 5 on 4 Jan. 2012, the governor related how she had been hesitant to support marriage equality, in large part, because of her Catholic faith. It was in talking with her own daughters, however, that she began to understand that marriage equality was a civil rights issue similar in some ways to the Civil Rights movements of the 1960s which she had supported passionately as a child. After talking with a priest friend who supported her change of heart on the matter and after entering into respectful dialogue with her local bishop (who did not support marriage equality), Gregoire made the bold and faith-filled decision that she could not in good conscience deny the right of civil marriage to lesbian and gay couples in her state. Moreover, it was as a person of faith, as a Catholic, that she realized that she had a moral obligation to support marriage equality.
This good news about Catholic support for marriage equality is that it extends well beyond gubernatorial offices, of course, as is demonstrated by an Oct. 2011 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. According to the poll, a full 52 percent of Catholics now support same-sex marriage (versus 37 percent in the opposition) which is a significant increase over a 2010 survey of Catholics which indicated only 46 percent of those polled in support of same-sex marriage (vs. 42 percent opposed). This means, according to the same poll, that Catholics now trail only slightly the views of white mainline Protestants who show the strongest support among American Christians for same-sex marriage (54 percent) and it reveals that Catholics are far more supportive of same-sex marriage than white evangelical Protestants (74 percent of whom oppose it).
While the march to full marriage equality in the United States seems to advance at an agonizingly slow pace, it is important for us to recognize that most American Catholics (who now represent the largest single religious denomination in the country and, with just over 68 million members, make up approximately 22 percent of the American population) support marriage for lesbian and gay couples. Although it is the increasingly conservative bishops of the US church who get the lion's share of press coverage on the issue, more newsworthy stories are actually those that report that five Catholic governors have worked, often at considerable risk to their political careers, to advance marriage equality. Even better news is that they are working in concert with the beliefs of millions of other American Catholics who understand that the Gospel AND important church teachings support marriage for all.
So, Let's Hear It For The Millions of American Catholics Who Support Marriage Equality!
Oneka LaBennett: Papa's Got a Brand New Outlook on Gay Marriage
peace to all.
As for same-sex marriage, not it's not just nominal and dissenting, but very faithful Catholics are also in support.
hre is the bottom line: the day God changes HIs mind about those "black and white" issues, is the day the REAL church will change its mind about that. This si God's Universe-not manikind's. Most are alrad on his list for not accepting Jesus. He says His Word will never change..that rules us out.
And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.
This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.
Do you really want to take moral advice from an institution such as this? I'm from Atlanta so you know where I stand on this : )
Bring up the sex abuse scandal is easy pickings yet the Department of Educations has a study which admits the problems in public schools are far more than the Catholic Church's issues in that area. But that would spoil the meme and force local governments to fork over the same settlements the Church has had to fork over so the will bury that dirty little report they themselves did.
“many true and faithful Christians, because of the testimony of enemies, rivals, slaves and other low people—and still less appropriate—without tests of any kind, have been locked up in secular prisons, tortured and condemned like relapsed heretics, deprived of their goods and properties, and given over to the secular arm to be executed, at great danger to their souls, giving a pernicious example and causing scandal to many”
Pope Sixtus IV 1492
The key words with most anti-gay groups are “tax exempt”. If all the money made by groups like this were TAXED, they would fine a real job. I just do not think gay life is that big a deal for most people? Most of us have a hard time worrying about our own life. For anti-gay groups it is all about the money. But if you DO spend every day of your life worrying about “the gays”, you may just want to talk to someone.
Can you name me some of these organizations you are referring to? I would find it incredibly surprising if you could point me to some mainstream secular groups with an anti-gay agenda.
If you go sit in a pew and toss money in a coffer, it doesn't matter what comes out of your mouth. You are aiding and abetting oppression and you are part of the problem. Your words mean nothing. It's your actions that matter.
Catholics have known since the 70s that their clergy have much growing up to do.
Then, we will have to deal with all the Atheist groups who are AGAINST gay rights and AGAINST marriage equality.
It is an uphill battle. (sigh)
I hope you were not trying to suggest that there are many secular groups that waste time denying people rights. That would be an extraordinary charge to make