Had an interesting conversation with an older Massachusetts Catholic yesterday. She didn't even want to discuss the new Mass. marriage amendment proposed by Mass. Family Institute and the Mass. Catholic Conference of Bishops -- because if the Bishops told her to support it, she'll support it. But she did seem troubled, and her stubbornness indicated a sense on her part that something wasn't quite right.
MassResistance asks: Why on earth are the Catholic Bishops supporting this wrongheaded amendment? Where are they leading their flock? It would allow homosexual "marriages" (performed before the amendment takes effect) to stand as legal, and thereby also validate the invalid SJC Goodridge ruling. (See text of amendment and analysis on Article 8 website.)
Let's see. The Vatican has just issued a new document for all the bishops to consider at their worldwide meeting coming up in October. It singles out "divorced people who remarry and Roman Catholic politicians who support abortion..., in criticizing church members who continue to receive Holy Communion while in a sate the church describes as mortal sin." (Boston Globe: "Vatican issues Eucharist draft", July 8, 2005.) Also, "the document criticize[s] the faithful who support Catholic politicians who back abortion and other policies, contrary to church teaching."
We understand that homosexual "marriage" is contrary to Catholic teaching. So ... might the Mass. Catholic Conference of Bishops have made a slight error in supporting this proposed new amendment??? And will the Vatican notice?
The Bishops, and the Vatican, need to understand that what is in question is not the overturning of any LEGAL marriages ... because homosexual "marriages" are still not legal in Massachusetts. They are without statutory basis. They are a fanciful notion of four twisted minds on the Mass. Supreme Judicial Court. They are based only on an illegitimate court ruling.
So why do the Mass. Bishops think they had to allow these "marriages" to stand in their amendment? They only need 25% of the legislature to approve a citizens' petition amendment, so it's hard to believe their "political necessity" argument.
In a state where the majority of legislators are nominal Catholics, we wonder why the Church hierarchy doesn't show a little more muscle. Is the lavender mafia still that powerful? Will all those Mass. legislators who voted for homosexual "marriage" be denied Holy Communion? (That is, if they even go to Mass...) And what about all those Catholic voters who keep electing them?
Will the Vatican take note, please?
