Bridgeport, Conn., Mar 13, 2009 / 14:55 pm
Declaring that the defense of religious liberty is "genuine patriotism," Bishop of Bridgeport William Lori has thanked the Catholics of Connecticut for helping derail a senate bill he called a "legislative attack." The bishop also rebuked the bill’s sponsoring senator and said he has no business interfering with the Catholic Church or any other church.
The Connecticut Senate’s S.B. 1098 targeted the Catholic Church for financial reorganization and would have stripped Catholic bishops and pastors of their governing roles. Though the bill was withdrawn on Tuesday, thousands of protesters attended a Wednesday rally against the bill.
"Thousands of you, the Catholics of Connecticut rejected this unconstitutional piece of legislation built upon a pretext," Bishop Lori wrote in a March 12 entry on his blog. "So many of you called and e-mailed State Senator Andrew McDonald and State Representative Michael Lawlor and the members of Judiciary Committee that the phone system at the State Capitol shut down and the e-mail addresses of legislators were overwhelmed."
Noting that the hearing on the bill was canceled by the co-chairs of the Judiciary Committee, the bishop said: