Brave Catholics come out for marriage

This past week,the Illinois state senate passed a marriage equality bill. (Now on to the House!)  Naturally, the Roman Catholic Church is opposed.  A good summary from New Ways Ministry about the pushback in IL against the anti-equality RC church hierarchy.

As expected, the state’s Catholic bishops’ efforts to deny LGBT couples their rights has been strong, but so have been those of pro-equality Catholics.
Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield wrote a message for Valentine’s Day condemning equal marriage rights. .... 

Catholic laywomen directly challenged the bishop’s comments in a piece at The Huffington Post, arguing their case for Catholic support of marriage equality. Citing the bishops’ support for social justice as an extension of the Catholic call to hospitality, 

And

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago continued his long history as an outspoken anti-LGBT activist. Medill Reportsdescribes the Cardinal’s efforts and how increasingly removed he is from mainstream Catholic thought. ... 

In the Chicaago Archdiocese, faithful Catholic laity used their Catholic faith as the basis for challenging Cardinal George’s actions. Parishioners of St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Evanston, which hosts a Gay and Lesbian, Family and Friends Ministry, wrote a letter to George inviting him to dialogue after harshly toned letters on marriage equality were read at Mass.

Glad to see more Catholics coming out for equality!

Incidentally, Archbishop Paprocki

previously admitted that it doesn’t matter how many “religious freedom” protections legislators add to the bill, the Catholic Church will still oppose it.

Thus, this has nothing to do with religious freedom, but everything to do with a theocratic view of society. Kinda like making it impossible for non-Catholics to get insurance coverage for contraception, which is really their goal with the HHS mandate.