The group Catholics United, which until now has avoided directly
contradicting Catholic teaching in its defense of Democratic political
causes, has now denounced Catholic efforts to defend traditional
marriage as a “far right-wing” social issue.
The shift comes in an Oct. 18 statement criticizing Catholic donations
to organizations that support marriage and oppose its redefinition to
include same-sex couples.
Catholics United called for a halt financial
support for “anti-marriage equality ballot initiatives” in Maine,
Maryland, Minnesota and Washington, states where the issue is on the
November ballot.
Catholics United Executive Director James Salt said advocacy against
“civil same-sex marriage laws” has the effect of “pushing younger
generations of Catholics out of the Church.”
“Younger Catholics don’t want our faith known for its involvement in
divisive culture wars, we want our faith known for serving the poor and
marginalized,” he argued.
Catholics United’s Oct. 18 statement cites a report by Equally Blessed,
a coalition of four dissenting Catholic groups: Call to Action, Dignity
USA, Fortunate Families and New Ways Ministry.
The report criticizes
the $6.25 million that the fraternal order the Knights of Columbus has
made since 2005 to defend marriage as a union of a man and a woman.
The founders of New Ways Ministry, Sister Jeannine Gramick and Father
Robert Nugent, have run into the highest profile trouble of any of the
members in the coalition.
In 1999, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said
that because of “errors and ambiguities” in their approach, Sr. Gramick
and Fr. Nugent were permanently prohibited from any pastoral work
involving homosexual individuals.
Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said in a Feb. 2010 statement that
New Ways Ministry’s “lack of adherence” to Church teaching on the
morality of homosexual acts was the “central issue” in the censure of
its founders and continues to be its “crucial defect.”
While Catholics United criticized only the Knights of Columbus for
“anti-marriage equality spending,” the Equally Blessed report also
blamed the Vatican for opposing homosexual political causes.
The Equally Blessed report also criticized Knights’ support for the
pro-life movement. It said the fraternal organization contributes to
what it calls “far-right anti-abortion groups”: Americans United for
Life, the Susan B. Anthony List and the pregnancy center network
Birthright USA.
The political fight over the definition of marriage has resulted in
harassment and intimidation of traditional marriage supporters.
Some
supporters of traditional marriage, including Catholics, have lost their
jobs because of activist pressure.
Businesses and non-profits which do
not want to recognize same-sex relationships have been the target of
lawsuits and legal action.
In some states that recognize same-sex unions, Catholic adoption
agencies have been forced to close because they could not in good
conscience place children with same-sex couples.
In Washington state, the “gay marriage” ballot measure has attracted
the support of wealthy donors like Microsoft founder Bill Gates and
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has donated $2.5
million to the campaign.
The known donors to Catholics United also support “gay marriage.”
Tax forms show that the Tides Foundation, whose 2009 newsletter
describes itself as “a leading funder of LGBT work,” has given at least
$35,000 to the group since 2007.
The American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees, whose president praised President
Obama’s endorsement of redefining marriage in May, has given at least
$32,500.
The AFL-CIO has given $5,000 to the group, whose contributions
and grants in 2011 totaled about $470,000.
Catholics United also has connections to the White House.
Visitor records from the White House show that the Catholics United
leadership has visited it several times, sometimes as part of a large
group of faith-based representatives and sometimes for small meetings.
The records show Salt and Catholics United founder Christopher Korzen
in September 2010 had a small meeting with Patrick Gaspard. At the
time, Gaspard was the Obama administration’s Director of the Office of
Political Affairs. He is now the Executive Director of the Democratic
National Committee.
On Feb. 10, 2012, Catholics United communications director Chris
Pumpelly attended a White House meeting with Joshua DuBois, special
assistant to President Barack Obama and executive director of the White
House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
White House officials at the meeting discussed the intended
accommodations to address concerns about the Health and Human Services
contraception and sterilization coverage mandate, meeting attendee
Kristen Day told CNA in June.
Alexia Kelley, former head of Catholics United ally Catholics in
Alliance for the Common Good, also attended the meeting. She is
presently director for the Department of Health and Human Services’
Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
The leadership of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good itself has
several connections with the Obama campaign.
Board member Stephen
Schneck, director of Catholic University of America’s Institute for
Policy Research and Catholic Studies, is also a member of the group
Catholics for Obama.