A group of nearly 100 Catholics is calling for accountability and transparency in the church's finances. At a meeting in the Twin Cities suburb of Eagan Thursday night, Martha Turner of Catholic Coalition for Church Reform said she hopes to start a conversation with the Archdiocese for St. Paul and Minneapolis.
"We would like to hear your stories," Turner said. "We want to hear from you, we want to hear your experiences and your concerns about how the money is used that you donate to your parishes and that some of which ends up in the Archdiocese."
The Archdiocese spent $650,000 in a failed attempt to pass a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
Michael Anderson, one of the leaders of the Catholic Coalition for Church Reform, asked the audience if the Archdiocese's spending was improper.
"How would we feel if the Archdiocese had invested a million dollars saying 'vote no' in opposition to the marriage amendment?" Anderson asked. "Would we be complaining about that? I don't know. I think it's an honest question."
Several people at the event said the church's stance made them feel like they had to choose between going to mass and supporting gay friends and family.
They said they wanted to have more of a say in the way the church spends its money.
A few said they had reduced their donations or stopped going to church.
The coalition plans to send comments to the Archdiocese.
The Archdiocese didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.