Winona bishop calls area Catholics to fight same-sex "marriages"

Bp Quinn presiding at funeral Mass for recovered aborted children

Minnesota's Roman Catholic bishops are launching a campaign against gay marriage and calling on Catholics to take political action. Members of the Diocese of Winona will soon receive DVDs "about the possible effects that same-sex marriage would have in our state," Bishop John Quinn wrote in the latest issue of the diocese's newspaper, the Courier.

"This is our time to stand up and defend marriage as a unique institution that, from the beginning of human history and in every culture, is the union of one man and one woman for the propagation of the human family and the upbringing of children," Quinn wrote.

Saying marriage is under attack, Quinn urged Catholics to contact their legislators about the issue.

Gay rights advocates are denouncing the action.[Really?  Who'd a thunk it?]

Winona's legislative delegation says it hasn't received any recent calls about gay marriage from Catholics. Fixing the state budget crisis is more important to voters now, they said. [Ha, nice strategy WinoDailNews, well even if it IS important which it is NOT, then it's still not as important as OTHER stuff.]

"The pressing issue should be on taking care of the $5.6 billion (budget deficit)," said Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa.

Drazkowski, a Catholic, introduced a bill last year that called for amending Minnesota's constitution to legally define marriage as being between a man and a woman. He urged a committee chairman to hold the bill when it became clear the budget was more important, he said.

Winona's DFL representatives agree fixing the budget is timelier.

"This is a wedge issue," said Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes, a Lutheran. "People are more concerned about jobs, health care and education." 

Said Rep. Gene Pelowski, a Catholic: "I don't see this as an overriding issue against the budget."  [Interesting that the Catholic politicians are not willing to take on the bishop.  Per the photo above, this guy is not one to mess around.] 

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is coordinating the DVD distribution, said Rose Hammes, a spokeswoman for the Winona diocese and editor of the Courier.

She referred questions about the campaign to the archdiocese. A spokesman there did not respond to two requests for comment.

The state campaign coincides with a U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops effort called "Marriage: Unique for a Reason," which includes a 12-minute video production about marriage called "Made for Each Other."

"‘Marriage: Unique for a Reason' provides resources to assist with the catechesis and education of Catholics on why marriage is unique and why it should be promoted and protected as the union of one man and one woman," according to the conference's ad hoc committee for the Defense of Marriage website. "The initiative will eventually include five videos with companion viewer's guides, resource booklets and an interactive website."

Gay rights advocate Cindy Killion said the campaign is insulting to homosexuals. "I don't understand why it's so important to continue this culture war and paint us as the bogeymen," said Killion, a professor at Winona State University who founded the LGBT Resource Center of the Seven Rivers Region in La Crosse, Wis. "This is a secular issue, an equal-rights issue. I don't see why religion thinks it owns marriage."  [Who owns marriage Ms. Killion?  Or dare I ask, who created marriage?  You may want to continue social deconstruction of society, but the question remains.  Why is there a Natural Law and according to the consensus of history what do those societies believe natural despite their religion?  Religions have merely observe Natural Law, they haven't created it.] 

This isn't the first time faith and politics have collided in the Winona diocese. In the July 2004 issue of the Courier, then Bishop Bernard Harrington wrote that Catholics who support legalized abortion should not receive communion. His statements came weeks after a national bishops' task force on which he served said bishops have the authority to deny communion to politicians who support abortion rights. [.... Um Canon Law has been around for a while.  I guess the article is hoping to say that these bishops motto is 'I do whhhat hhhhI wwwwoant'.  I hope his priests did not ignore their grave obligation here,]

WinonaDailyNews

A story about Bishop Harrington.  I was present at a Confirmation Mass at a parish staffed by some very liberal Catholics.  During the homily directed at the students, he boomed home the point that as adults, people would try to convince them not to be pro-life people.  The good bishop knew the kind of people that were listening.  The principal of the school even had the gall to have Obama signs in her yard at the time.  It was the best Confirmation homily I have ever heard(I've taught Confirmation for seven years).  He hammered away at the pro-abort Catholics, and said (I paraphrase) you cannot be Catholic and pro-choice, and gave students a practical focus on what it meant to live life as a Catholic in the world.  Amen! 

Photo TeDeumLaudamus!