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MD, USA: Cardinal Orders Priests to Read Anti Gay Letter in Churches

Monday, April 30th, 2012

Is it just me, or are these news items becoming a daily occurrence?

Here’s the latest, courtesy of popular LGBT blog Joe.My.God: The office of Baltimore Cardinal Edwin O’Brien required that a pro-marriage-discrimination letter authored by the cardinal himself be read aloud at Mass this past weekend as part of a petition drive to collect the signatures needed to ensure that a statewide referendum to overturn Maryland’s new marriage equality law makes it onto the ballot in November.

The cardinal addressed Catholics directly in the letter: “Today after Mass, you will have the opportunity to sign this petition, and I strongly encourage you to do so.”

Full Story from the Huffington Post

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Tags: cardinal, catholic church, Gay Marriage, letter, maryland

UK: Catholic Church in Hot Water Over Petition Push in Schools

Friday, April 27th, 2012

A row has erupted over correspondence issued by the Catholic Education Service to nearly 400 Catholic schools in England and Wales which asked them to ‘draw the attention’ of pupils to the Coalition for Marriage’s anti-equality petition, first revealed by PinkNews.co.uk yesterday.

Several organisations believe the action may have violated education and equality laws, suggestions denied by the Catholic body.

The Catholic Education Service is the government liaison agency for the Catholic bishops in England and Wales for the support and promotion of Catholic education.

Full Story from Pink News

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Tags: catholic church, children, marriage equality, petitions, schools, united kingdom

UK: Catholic Church Urged 11 Year-Olds to Sign Anti Marriage Equality Petition

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Students at a Catholic state school in south London have been shown a presentation on religious opposition to the government’s proposal to allow gay couples to marry in civil ceremonies which, it is claimed, encouraged them to sign the Coalition for Marriage’s petition against the move.

A student at St Philomena’s Catholic High School for Girls in Carshalton voiced concerns to PinkNews.co.uk that pupils from 11 to 18 years of age had been “encouraged” to sign the anti-equality pledge by the school’s headmistress.

The Catholic Education Service confirmed to PinkNews.co.uk that it had written to at least 359 Catholic state secondary schools in England and Wales last month asking them to draw attention to a letter by senior archbishops which told Catholics of their “duty” to do “all we can to ensure that the true meaning of marriage is not lost for future generations”.

Full Story from Pink News

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Tags: anti gay marriage, catholic church, children, marriage equality, petition

Pope Slaps Down Nuns Over Support for Gays, Health Care Law

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

The Vatican has appointed an American bishop to rein in the largest and most influential group of Catholic nuns in the United States, saying that an investigation found that the group had “serious doctrinal problems.”

The Vatican’s assessment, issued on Wednesday, said that members of the group, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, had challenged church teaching on homosexuality and the male-only priesthood, and promoted “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.”

The sisters were also reprimanded for making public statements that “disagree with or challenge the bishops, who are the church’s authentic teachers of faith and morals.” During the debate over the health care overhaul in 2010, American bishops came out in opposition to the health plan, but dozens of sisters, many of whom belong to the Leadership Conference, signed a statement supporting it — support that provided crucial cover for the Obama administration in the battle over health care.

Full Story from The New York Times

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Tags: catholic church, gays, health care, homosexuals, nuns, pope, reprimand

WA, USA: Church Gives Catholic Priest Standing Ovation for Rejecting Anti Marriage Equality Petition

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

At least six Catholic parishes in Washington state have ignored the Seattle Archbishop’s call to gather signatures for a referendum repealing the state’s recently-enacted marriage equality law, calling the effort “hurtful and seriously divisive in our community.” “Seattle’s Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church gave the Rev. Tim Clark a standing ovation Sunday” when he announced that the parish would not be participating in the anti-equality effort:

“I am happy to report that Our Lady of the Lake parish-oners have been overwhelmingly and, thus far, unanimously supportive of the decision I made NOT to gather signatures in support of this Referendum,” Clark wrote in response to an e-mail.

“The standing ovation experienced during one of the Masses says less about me and much more about the health of this parish. I only wished the archbishop could have experienced the sustained applause — the ‘sensus fidelium’ — of the people. He needs to listen to this ‘voice.’ That is my prayer.”

Full Story from Think Progress

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington State.

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Tags: anti gay marriage, catholic church, marriage equality petition, priest, reverend tim clark, seattle, washington state

WA, USA: Seattle Cathedral Rejects Marriage Equality Repeal Petitions

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

In a heartening move Father Michael Ryan, St. James Cathedral’s senior pastor, e-mailed his congregation this week to inform them that the cathedral was not participating in the signature gathering effort to force Referendum 74 on the November ballot. Referendum 74, a project of National Organization for Marriage, would repeal Washington’s new civil marriage equality law.

St. James Cathedral is the home church of the Archdiocese of Seattle and the seat of Archbishop J. Peter Sartain. Last week Archbishop Sartain co-signed a letter with Bishop Eusebio Elizondo calling the civil marriage equality law repeal effort “critically important” and authorizing — some would say ordering — the nearly 250 churches under their purview to participate in the Referendum petition process.

Full Story from Pam’s House Blend

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington State.

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Tags: cathedral, catholic church, marriage equality, repeal, seattle

Australia: Catholic Church Calls on Parishoners to Fight Marriage Equality in Victoria

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

SIX Catholic bishops in Victoria will circulate 80,000 letters this weekend asking their parishioners to show the Federal Government their opposition to same sex marriage. There are currently three gay marriage private member’s bills before Federal Parliament, aimed at changing the legal definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

The bishops want all Catholics to contact their MPs and respond to an online survey being conducted by the Federal Parliament Standing Committee of Social Policy and Legal Affairs. The Bishop of Sale, Christopher Prowse, said it would be a grave mistake with implications for the future of society should the legal definition of marriage be changed.

“We have asked Catholics to seriously reflect and pray about the ramifications for current and future generations of legislation which completely redefines marriage,” Bishop Prowse said.

Full Story from news.com.au

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Tags: australia, catholic church, marriage equality, parishioners

Catholic Church Suddenly Supports Civil Unions

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

For the first time ever, the Roman Catholic church is endorsing civil unions, in the second historic reversal in only two weeks.

The Roman Catholic church of New Hampshire suddenly endorsed civil unions on 19 March 2012, just 48 hours before a state legislature vote that has been pending for two years. That vote must be taken by tomorrow, or else the proposed legislation will die altogether. In an equally surprising move, on 4 March, the Roman Catholic church of Maine ceased all external opposition to this year’s full marriage equality ballot campaign in Maine.

Historically, Roman Catholic officials have opposed virtually every regulation, policy, and law proposed to protect LGBT people nationwide, including all proposals for civil unions. However, faced with the choice of either retaining New Hampshire’s full marriage law which was signed on 3 June 2009, or else repealing it and replacing it with civil unions instead, church officials decided – for the first time ever – to endorse civil unions for LGBT people.

Full Story from the San Diego LGBT Weekly

Click here for gay wedding resources in New Hampshire.

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Tags: catholic church, civil unions, new hampshire

Is the Catholic Church Behind Preserve Marriage Washington?

Thursday, March 15th, 2012

What are we to make of this? The Washington State Catholic Conference (WSCC), which represents the Catholic Bishops of the State of Washington on issues of public policy, has created a “Preserve Marriage Washington” (PMW) web page on their site. PMW is the campaign trying to roll back Washington’s new marriage equality law.

The WSCC’s PMW page is given high prominence: it is one three featured links on the WSCC’s main page. Three of those five featured links are related to Washington’s marriage equality law.

WSCC links to three full-color PMW propaganda pieces on its PMW page (one, two, three). What is interesting is that those documents haven’t even been posted to the official Preserve Marriage Washington website yet.

Full Story from Pam’s House Blend

Click here for gay wedding resources in Washington State.

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Tags: catholic church, Gay Marriage, marriage equality, preserve marriage washington

UK: Equality Minister Calls Out Churches for Homophobia

Sunday, March 11th, 2012

Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat minister for equality has said that the language the Church of England and the Catholic Church has used is homophobic and that the views that the leaders are expressing belong in the Dark Ages.

Mrs Featherstone told the Sunday Times: “This is about love and commitment and things that are good for society and families; it is a matter of celebrating love and commitment.” She added :”I have heard homophobic language used in connection with this very loving and progressive step.” She said the language use “belongs in the Dark Ages”.

“This is a live-and-let-live policy,” Mrs Featherstone told the newspaper . “We have no wish to cross over into territory that is not ours, no desire to stop those who believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Full Story from Pink News

Click here for gay wedding resources in the United Kingdom.

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Tags: catholic church, church of england, equality minister, homophobia, lynne featherstone, marriage equality, united kingdom