Washington D.C., Oct 26, 2012 / 14:12 pm
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.