Few Priests Sign Name To Ban Gay Marriage

[ruggerson]

Despite not-so-veiled coercion by the Church, most Massachussetts priests did the right thing and refused to hop on board the Jim Crow wagon.

http://www.masslive.com/hampfrank/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1135932323188640.xml&coll=1

<snip>

Friday, December 30, 2005
By BILL ZAJAC
[email protected]


Despite the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church urging support for a petition against same-sex marriage, only 20 percent of priests who work in the Springfield diocese signed the petition, according to a Web site tracking the issue.


Of the 154 active local priests, 31, or 20 percent, signed the petition that seeks to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Information about petition signers was gathered from the Web site of the pro-gay marriage organization, knowthyneighbor.org.


Leaders of the organization said their Web site's petition database contains all the names accepted by the Massachusetts Secretary of State's office, which certified the petition.


The petition seeks to amend the state constitution to prevent gay marriages. The initiative must be approved by lawmakers during two successive legislative sessions before going on the 2008 ballot.


The Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, the Springfield diocese's bishop, urged priests and parishioners to support the petition. In a letter to priests prior to the statewide petition drive several months ago, McDonnell wrote, "Help at the parish level is vital. I encourage the cooperation of your parish in this important campaign."

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[saigon68]

1. These FUCKERS need their TAX EXEMPTION PULLED

[xchrom]

2. indeed.

it's time to change that for all churches -- including the one i go to and it's very liberal -- but has never ever made a political statement from the pulpit or otherwise.

[Straight Shooter]

5. I agree. Tax-exempt status for churches is a good idea that's gone bad.

There was a time when it was a good thing, but that time has long since passed. The church was once a place which was concerned about your soul, what you did on earth to help others (okay, that's a little Pollyannish but you know what I mean). Now, it's all about money and position and getting a grip on power in order to have influence in this world, not the next. Maybe they can use a tiered system of taxation.

Remove the tax exempt status. It's an anachronism.

[Ian David]

3. When I was volunteering for NGLTF , I got a Monsignor to sign AGAINST it

I just strode confidently into the middle of a group of four priests, introduced myself, offered to shake hands, and by the time I was through, the oldest one in the group signed the petition against banning gay marriage.

The other four in the group were in favor of the ban.

[Ian David]

4. We may not want to read too much into this, as tempting as it may be.

My ex-boss is one of the ringleaders of the Mass. anti-gay movement, and his name isn't on the list.


Here's more from the article:

<snip>

Larry Cirignano of Catholic Citizenship, which helped organize the petition drive, was at a loss to explain the low percentage of signatures.

He said some of the priests may have signed a petition paper that was disqualified.

"Whole sheets were thrown out (at city clerks' offices and the Massachusetts Secretary of State's office) because of tears, stains and other reasons," Cirignano said.

<snip>

In an internal memo to priests, diocesan spokesman Mark E. Dupont told priests on Nov. 23 that the media might examine the petitions to discover which priests didn't sign them.

In the Springfield Diocese, about the same percentage of diocesan priests as religious order priests signed the petition.

Local priests who signed the petition were the Revs. Dennis P. Bombadier, Paul A. Bombadier, Richard A. Bondi, Paul Burns, Michael Callea, Robert J. Coonan, Anthony Corigliano, Alexander Cymerman, Charles J. DiMascola, Henry L. Dorsch, Edward T. Fitzgerald, John Gawienowski, Homer P. Gosselin, Donald Higgins, David J. Joyce, James K. Joyce, Paul C. LaFlamme, Gerard A. Lafleur, David Lord, William H. Lunney, Christopher A. Malatesta, Joseph Massaro, Edward T. Nedder, Francis Reilly, Robert H. Riel, Richard A. Riendeau, Philippe D. Roux, Ronald F. Sadlowski, Michael Shershanovich, Richard S. Sniezyk and Raymond A. Soltys.

More:
http://www.masslive.com/hampfrank/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1135932323188640.xml&coll=1&thispage=1