Spirit of Catholicism? Erie Diocese Donates To Fight Marriage Equality in Maine

by Deb Spilko for the Erie Gay News:

The National Catholic Reporter notes that the Erie Catholic Diocese was one of 50 Catholic dioceses in the country that contributed to the campaign to strike down Maine’s law extending civil marriage rights to same-sex couples. In the Nov. 3 referendum, voters rejected marriage equality 53 percent to 47 percent.


Bishop Malone of the Portland Maine diocese had called on bishops from dioceses around the country to contribute to fight marriage equality. Bishops contributed a total of $550,000 to the campaign.

The Erie Times-News contacted Erie Bishop Donald Trautman, who replied in an e-mail. “Bishops have the responsibility to teach, to shepherd and to sanctify, and as any top administrator, I do have access to resources that can be used as I see fit,” Trautman said.

“We believe marriage was created by God as a sacrament between one man and one woman.“ he said. “The church in America exists in a democracy. We have not only the right, but also the responsibility to be active citizens, to participate in our democracy and to make our views known to the legislators who represent us.”

Through Bishop Malone, the Portland Maine diocese contributed $286,000,even though it has been experiencing dire financial difficulties for the past several years. The bishop made the decision to donate $ 180,000 of the Portland diocese’s money, and then took up a second collection.


Boston Skeptics blogger Maggie wrote in September, “The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland Maine is gambling that you won’t bother to express outrage at this tax-exempt religious body dabbling in politics — despite this being something they are explicitly barred from doing. . . Changing, influencing or creating laws are political actions. And IRS code 501(c)(3) governing tax exempt organizations expressly forbids this.

“If the church wants access to our government, there’s a price. If not, then their best move would be to return that money to their parishioners or donate it to a wholly unrelated charity. This is our government, not the Pope’s.”

A Christmas Eve Call To Catholic Action

Will you please consider sending this call to Catholic action to all your Catholic friends and relatives?

from Father Tony of the Farmboyz:

Did you know that the mistreatment of women, married men and gay men by the Catholic bishops is really the same issue?

I began to realize this while thinking about why the struggle for gay equality in America seems to be failing.


Recent losses in California, Maine and New York have left gay activist leaders arguing about what exactly went wrong. Those battles have, however, made clear the identity of an aggressive enemy of the gay community, the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church.

To please the Pope, the American Catholic bishops have pooled financial resources to overcome marriage equality. They have threatened the cessation of social services and have bound their flock to the belief that God demands that marriage be exclusively between one man and one woman. They have mandated the taking up of collections to support their battle against marriage equality.

These bishops also believe that women are not good enough in the eyes of God to be ordained priests. These bishops also believe that married men are not good enough in the eyes of God to be ordained priests. These bishops also believe that gay men are not good enough to be ordained priests (a particularly curious belief given the huge gay portion of their own ranks).


Now is the time for Catholic women, married men, gay men, and all their Catholic friends and relatives to band together and to end this nonsense. You have the ability to gain your rights if you will realize that these bishops no longer speak for God in this matter. They have gone astray and are misleading you. In your hearts you know this to be true.

You can rectify this situation by holding back your financial support until women, married men and gay men all have equal access to the Catholic priesthood. Do you understand how critically important your financial support is to the life of the Roman Catholic Church in America? Do you understand what would happen if, as a group, you turned off the financial faucet? There would be a panic among those bishops and soon they would find a way to announce that the Holy Spirit has revealed a new truth; that women and married men and gay men deserve equal places in the church and are all worthy of the priesthood. The threat of bankruptcy can be a fast route to holy wisdom.


I am suggesting that on Christmas Eve, all Roman Catholics in America refrain from giving money when the collection basket is passed, and that you continue that restraint until your God-given rights are granted.

I am also suggesting that you consider placing a small pebble in the collection basket as a clear message to your bishops. Your priests who are torn between believing in your equality and their sworn obedience to the bishops might send those pebbles to those bishops just as they do a good portion of the money you routinely give them. And remember, those bishops have already cast the first stone. All you would be doing is politely returning it to them.

The Roman Catholic Church in America is at a crossroads. There will soon be either a healthy enlightenment or a rapid withering. Catholic women, married men and gay men who understand that their bishops are speaking for the Pope rather than for Jesus Christ in this matter will save their Church if they act together. Christmas Eve is the perfect time to start.

I am urging you to refrain from financial support as an act of love for your church. I do not want to see the Catholic Church destroyed by a generation of bishops who are confused and in need of your intervention. They will someday thank you for doing what they could not do.

Will you please consider forwarding this call to Catholic action to all your Catholic friends and relatives?