The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland has contributed another $152,600 to the group that's campaigning to overturn Maine's same-sex marriage law.A campaign finance report released by the diocese Friday said the money was contributed between Oct. 1 and Oct. 20 and came from its general treasury.
The treasury is made up of unrestricted bequests, interests and dividends, said Sue Bernard, a spokeswoman for the diocese. The money doesn't come from parish collection plates or the bishop's appeal, she said.
The contribution included $7,600 for in-kind services, chiefly two employees on leaves of absence to work on the campaign. An additional $11,700 came from individuals who earmarked contributions for the campaign.
The money will go to the Stand for Marriage Maine political action committee, which is pushing for a "yes" vote on Question 1 on Election Day.
Since June, the church has given a total of $214,000 in cash and in-kind services to the effort, Bernard said.
Political action committees were preparing to release their most recent spending reports by midnight Friday.
Mark Sullivan, a spokesman for the group that supports same-sex marriage and is campaigning to retain the law, said he had no comment on the church's contribution.
As of Sept. 30, Stand for Marriage Maine had raised $1.1 million. No on 1 had raised $2.7 million.
In September, the church collected $86,000 from parishioners after a well-publicized appeal for collections at Masses.
With the hotly contested campaign coming down to its final days, Bernard said she couldn't say whether the church will provide more financial support.
"I don't know if the bishop has plans for further contributions," she said. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Disclaimer
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