Minnesota Catholic Conference - Feeding the poor, Clothing the needy

Not a chance. Instead, these good Catholics have spent close to $750,000 (as of September 18) on their campaign for an anti-equality amendment to the Minnesota constitution. About half of that came from various Catholic dioceses with three in Minnesota chipping in $50,000 each. The other (roughly) half is from the Knights of Columbus     $100,000 from HQ and the rest from numerous K of C  chapters.

On September 28, Jeremy Hooper at Good As You wrote a provocative piece about how the Church is trying to buy the amendment. Jeremy displayed some of the many letters that are going out to every parishioner requesting money and support. They have also been organizing events across the state.

The money that they are spending is just astonishing, and that's just the money that we know about. The Conference has given $600,000 of this to Minnesota for Marriage. Most of the remaining $150,000 has gone to paying several consultants $3,000/month plus expenses. Judging from the amount of auto expense, these people are traveling from dioceses to diocese to encourage the faithful. I'm sure that they are distributing numerous materials  plus these 3 x 5 "pew cards:"

 

 

I want to emphasize that gay marriage is not on the ballot. Nor is it being considered by the legislature. They are spending all of this money and investing all of this labor on a constitutional amendment to prevent marriage equality provisionally.  By the way, I notice that the campaign has materials available in Spanish, Amharic (Ethiopian), Hmong (Southeast Asian mountain tribes), Russian and Somali. Who knew?

The majority of Catholics in the United States support marriage equality. They identify with Joe Biden and not with Maggie Gallagher or her ilk. Yet it is clear that the Church is using its considerable power and resources, worldwide, to prevent equality.  If we go back to the 2003 pronouncement of the Pope, he makes it quite clear that it is the duty of every Catholic to oppose any legal recognition of any form of homosexual union. Conservative Catholics accept the premise that the Pope's words are inerrant and essentially the words of God.

God doesn't vote but he sure is expensive.