Catholics put pressure on Knights of Columbus; petition slams cash spent fighting gay marriage
Published: Tuesday, November 20, 2012
By Jim Shelton, Register Staff
NEW HAVEN In the shadow of Father McGivneys statue, members of a Catholic activist group showed up at the Knights of Columbus headquarters Tuesday and asked the Knights to stop spending millions of dollars on nationwide campaigns against same-sex marriage.
It was a non-protest protest, if you will just two gray-haired, lifelong Catholics quietly walking up to a downtown office tower with a folder full of signatures.
The Knights of Columbus has done a lot of wonderful things over the years, but many Catholics across the country believe the Knights of Columbus has just become a wing of the Republican Party, said Patrick Carolan, 58, of Stratford, a member of Catholics United, a coalition of Catholic groups that support equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
The Knights have contributed at least $6.25 million to anti-gay marriage initiatives since 2005, federal income tax and campaign documents show. According to a report by the group Equally Blessed, the Knights gave $600,000 during the 2012 election cycle.
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