To the Editor:
We all knew it would just be a matter of time before the topic of same sex marriage moved to the front burner again. The sooner the better as far as I am concerned, especially in light of recent revelations regarding how much money ($1.2 million) was actually sent to a California firm to collect the signatures needed to put this issue and two others on the Maine ballot (Maine Commission of Governmental Ethics and Election Practices).
As it turns out, many of those signatures were forged, some from deceased residents (see “Forgeries raise questions about role money plays in petition process,” Bangor Daily News 2/4/10). By the way, does anyone still believe this issue was put on the ballot by way of a grassroots movement?
Last week Mr. Smith, a fellow Catholic, fired back quickly and decisively in his LCN letter (The highest regards for human rights”) to the passing shot (“A sad statement of their priorities”) by Ms. Kennedy the previous week, directed at Maine Catholics.
Mr. Smith stated that it was unfair for Ms. Kennedy to compare the amount of money spent by the Catholic Diocese of Maine with the amount that the Diocese raised for Haitian earthquake relief. Although I do agree we are not comparing apples with apples when we look at these numbers, as Catholics, we need to take responsibility for our role in the November referendum as honestly as we choose to take pride for doing our Christian duty in Haiti.
Personally, I am still beaming from the remarkable ecumenical efforts within our Christian community to raise $8000 by means of a Haitian Supper as much as I continue to be embarrassed about the role we (Catholics) played in repealing equal rights under Maine marriage law. Whenever we choose to enter the public forum in such dramatic fashion and not rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, then we should to be prepared for public scrutiny and scorn.
Mr. Smith contends that the “Church’s teachings are not contradictory to its beliefs and practices.” With regard to the official position of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maine on Question 1 this past November, I disagree.
The teachings of the Church are founded on the beatitudes, not on bigotry or strict adherence to Old Testament laws. The Church I grew up in is rooted in the spirit of inclusion, not division or stigmatism, which is exactly what the Yes on Question 1 campaign deliberately set out to do.
Mr. Smith goes on to contend that the Church’s “history clearly demonstrates the highest regards for human rights, regardless of race, color, gender and sexual orientations.” That’s the standard, politically correct perspective of any organization and it sounds nice.
However, it was not much more than a half century ago that the American Catholic Church restricted marriage based upon race, ethnicity and immigration status. Women, who are still not permitted to be ordained, do not have access to positions of leadership which in turn would likely offer a more balanced, healthy perspective on issues of sexuality, intimacy and marriage, and in November the Maine Catholic Church was successful in ensuring that same sex couples could not be married, not just within our Church, but in secular society as well.
This last point is especially important, as it demonstrates the desire by Catholic authorities to regulate life outside the Church, even while its own laws, which already restrict access of certain individuals to the Sacraments, including marriage, have never been threatened.
It’s particularly difficult to reconcile the irony that, in the wake of the devastating child sex abuse scandal, one of the primary platforms of the Catholic Chancery on the Question 1 referendum, was that same sex marriage would put our children in harm’s way.
Clearly, interests from outside our state, as much as from the Maine Catholic Diocese, are responsible for the current limitations on civil rights and the degradation of same sex couples. Fortunately, there may be some cause for hope as California becomes the focus again.
Last month, Perry vs. Schwarzenegger was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to challenge the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the California referendum that, in Nov. 2008, overturned a state Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriage. If successful, it would make gay marriage legal in all states.
Unfortunately, this case could be tied up in court for years, which means that there is a strong likelihood Maine voters will be asked to vote on the issue again soon. When that time comes, I look forward to an authentic, overwhelming groundswell of grass root support from Roman Catholics statewide for the civil rights of our gay brothers and sisters.
Perhaps then, equal rights under the law can be restored, due in large measure to informed consciences and a proclamation of our rich Catholic faith and traditions.
Dennis Anderson
Newcastle
