FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 18, 2012
Dan Rafter |
Catholic Church and NOM Responsiblefor 60 Percent of All Anti-Equality Funding in Four Marriage Ballot States
New HRC report finds money being siphonedfrom Dioceses around the country to fund political campaigns aimed atdiscrimination
Washington – The CatholicChurch is funneling unprecedented dollar amounts into the four states wheremarriage equality is on the ballot this fall – Minnesota, Maryland, Maine andWashington – and in many cases, parishioners may not even be aware that theirdollars are being used to fund discrimination. The new report from the HumanRights Campaign finds that the Church has spent at least $1.1 million as partof its broader effort to deny loving, committed couples the right to marry. Inaddition, a close ally of the Church and past co-conspirator, the NationalOrganization for Marriage, has spent nearly $1.4 million on the four ballotmeasures. In the aggregate, the Church and NOM are the single largest fundersof discrimination, responsible for funding nearly 60 percent of allanti-equality efforts in Minnesota, Maryland, Maine and Washington.
Asignificant portion of the Catholic-affiliated funding -more than $640,000 -comes from the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal organization within the Church.The Knights of Columbus have an established history of using their money tofight marriage equality dating back to 2005. Equally Blessed, a coalition ofpro-LGBT Catholic groups, will be releasing an extensive report in partnershipwith HRC today detailing the Knights’ longstanding financial support foranti-equality measures.
In Minnesotaalone, the opposition to marriage equality has received more than $180,000 fromdioceses across the nation. Much of this funding likely came without theknowledge of parishioners; and as diocesan schools and important programs likesoup kitchens struggle for resources, the Catholic Church has instead chosen tofund hateful, misleading political campaigns targeting loving, committedcouples.
“TheCatholic Church hierarchy has positioned itself as the leading religiousorganization funding discrimination against LGBT people,” said HRC PresidentChad Griffin. “Perhaps most disturbing is the number of local parishesredirecting the hard-earned dollars of its members in the name ofdiscrimination. The majority of Catholics support equality for LGBT people –they want their dollars funding things like soup kitchens, homeless shelters,and domestic violence programs; not discrimination against people severalstates away. The Church hierarchy owes the laity an explanation as to why theyare spending this much money on discrimination, and at what cost to other crucialChurch programs.”
Theanti-LGBT activity of the hierarchy stands in direct opposition to the valuesof the majority of Catholics. A 2012 Public Religion Research Institute pollfound that nearly 60 percent of Catholics support marriage equality. In fact,polling indicates marriage equality is one of the least important issuesCatholics are currently concerned with. That same poll, from Belden Russonello,found that 83 percent of Catholics feel their bishops should not influencetheir vote.
“OurCatholic social teaching calls for us to work for a more loving, compassionate,and justice-oriented world for all. It does not call on us to discriminateagainst anyone,” said Marianne Duddy-Burke, a Catholic leader with EquallyBlessed and executive director of DignityUSA. “Unfortunately, the anti-LGBTactivities of the Church hierarchy stand in direct opposition to the values ofthe majority of Catholics.”
The report,available at www.hrc.org/catholicreport,breaks down publicly reported in-kind and cash expenditures from the Churchhierarchy and the Knights of Columbus to the four ballot states. In Minnesota,the Church has funded over 50 percent of the effort to write discriminationinto the state constitution – spending over $608,000. That figure includessignificant investments from the Knights of Columbus, as well as thousands ofdollars from small parishes all across the country.
The Knightsof Columbus also have made sizable contributions in Maryland and WashingtonState – dropping $250,000 in each state on efforts to prevent loving, committedsame-sex couples from starting families.
The heftyfinancial investments from the Catholic Church come as bishops in some of thelargest faith communities in the country speak out with increasing frequencyagainst LGBT people. In San Francisco, the newly appointed Archbishop SalvatoreCordileone was one of the chief architects of Proposition 8. Under hisguidance, Catholic organizations in California led the charge in financing theProp 8 campaign. In Newark, New Jersey, Archbishop John J. Myers has called onsupporters of marriage equality to abstain from receiving Communion. And inMinneapolis-St. Paul, parishioners have walked out of services as pastors readletters against marriage equality from Archbishop John C. Nienstedt.
Learn moreabout the work of the Church hierarchy and its allies in fighting marriageequality this election cycle at www.hrc.org/catholicreport.
TheHuman Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender political organization with members throughout the country. Iteffectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the publicto ensure that LGBT Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work andin the community.
###
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder