**50** Catholic dioceses contributed loot to the anti-same-gender-marriage vote in Maine

[Bluebear]

Gathering money from 50 U.S. dioceses, the Portland, Maine, diocese contributed more than $550,000 to the campaign to rejected Maine's law extending civil marriage to gay and lesbian couples, according to financial records filed with the state agency that tracks political contributions.

In the Nov. 3 referendum, Maine voters rejected 53 to 47 percent the same-sex marriage law.

Supporters and opponents of the law spent more than $7 million, according to the Portland Press Herald.

During the summer, Bishop Richard J. Malone of Portland sent an appeal to other Catholic bishops seeking contributions to defeat the law that the state legislature passed and the governor signed in May.

http://ncronline.org/news/politics/dioceses-major-contributors-repeal-same-sex-marriage

According to financial records filed with Maine's campaign finance watchdog, the Portland diocese donated nearly $286,000 to Stand For Marriage Maine, which was seeking to repeal the same-sex law. Malone had ordered a second collection be taken up at Masses one September weekend which netted $86,000.

After Portland, Maine, the largest diocesan contributors were the Philadelphia archdiocese and Phoenix diocese, each giving $50,000. The sees of Newark, N.J., St. Louis, Mo., and Youngstown, Ohio, each contributed $10,000. The Diocesan Assistance Fund of Providence, R.I., gave $10,000.00.

Contributing $5,000 were the dioceses of Arlington, Va., Rockford, Ill., Crookston, Minn., and Pittsburgh, Pa. The Roman Catholic Foundation in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Inc. donated $2,500.

Contributing $2,000 were the diocese of Portland, Ore., Jefferson City, Mo., Savannah, Ga., and the archdiocese of New Orleans.

The Columbus, Ohio, diocese gave $1,500. Contributing $1,000 were the archdioceses of Cincinnati, Ohio, Hartford, Hartford, Conn., and Atlanta, Ga., and the dioceses of Fort Worth, Texas, Green Bay, Wis., Ft. Wayne-South Bend, Ind., Baton Rouge, La., Colorado Springs, Colo., Gary, Ind., Parma, Ohio, Erie, Pa., Joliet, Ill., Grand Island, Nebr., and the Diocesan Center for Family Life, Jacksonville, Fla.

Contributing $500 were the dioceses of Biloxi, Miss., Altoona-Johnstown, Pa., Metuchen, N.J., Scranton, Pa., Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo., St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, Winona, Minn., Yakima, Wash., LaCrosse, Wis., and Rockville Centre, N.Y.

The Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn gave $300. The dioceses of Wilmington, Del., and Las Cruces, N.M., gave $200 each. The San Angelo, Texas, diocese gave $150.

The financial report says the bishop of Fall River, Mass., donated $5,000; the archbishop of Mobile, Ala., gave $2,000, and the bishops of Wheeling-Charleston, W.Va., Louisville, Ky., and Springfield, Mass., each donated $1,000.

Individual bishops were named in the financial report. Giving $1,000 were Richard Lennon of Cleveland, Ohio, and William Lori of Bridgeport, Conn. Giving $500 were Herbert Brevard of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and John D'Arcy of Fort Wayne, Ind. Giving $250 were Jose Gomez of San Antonio, Texas, and John LeVoir of New Ulm, Minn. Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., gave $200.

Private institutions or individuals contributing to the Stand for Marriage organization through the Portland diocese were Maine businessman Robert S. Nanovic, $10,000; the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas, $10,000; and the Catholic fraternal organization, the Knights of Columbus, $50,000.

[Canuckistanian]

1. At least it wasn't spent on those lazy poor people

Because Jesus was a manly man, he didn't approve of that sissy stuff.

Funny how he never married and hung around with the same 12 men, though.

[Bluebear]

4. None of that money could have gone to the hungry, the infirm, the cold...

all those pesky people Jesus blessed in the Beatitudes.

[Starry Messenger]

2. Sickening.

All money which could have been used to support hungry families this winter. Some days this ex-Catholic atheist hopes there really is a hell.

[me b zola]

3. Recommended

I'm a recovering catholic who no longer (haven't for a while) can recognize the church that I grew up in. God IS love! But that is not what is being preached nor practice by the catholic church.

I stand with the LGBT community as I hope they stand with me as a woman.

[Bluebear]

5. I certainly stand with you, my sister.

[me b zola]

27. As I with you . n/t

[closeupready]

10. Join the club.

:D :hi: I think the final straw for me was a former member of the Hitler Youth being selected to run the Vatican. I do believe people can change, but give me a break.

[me b zola]

18. 3/4 of me was out the door (maybe more of me)

...with the pedophilia cover up. Yeah, Rat boy was the final nail, I knew the church would be used to push the rw agenda and all of their hate. I really think that the catholic church is emboldened and will push for further infringements on LGBTs and women. :(


Hello to you :hi:

[babylonsister]

6. In tiny Maine? They have their agenda. Gross. Where's next? nt

[dsc]

7. To read that the Youngstown Ohio diocese gave 10k makes my blood boil

The counties served by this diocese are poor counties. Ashtabula, Trumbull (Warren), Mahoning (Youngstown), Columbiana (south of Youngstown), Portgage, and Stark (Canton) have been among the hardest hit counties in terms of unemployment and forclosure. That 10k would have staffed a soup kitchen for quite some time. It also is the diocese I grew up in not that I am Catholic.

[stevedeshazer]

8. K & R

[BrklynLiberal]

9. RESCIND TAX EXEMPTIOINS OF ALL CHURCHES!!!!

[vadawg]

11. nope aint gonna happen, can you imagine the thud of any politicians approval #'s

if they put forward this idea, i dont think any pol thinks they could fight the all churches and win...

[jesus_of_suburbia]

13. Heaven forbid a politician should do what is right......

but you are right, they won't enforce it.

[vadawg]

14. i dont agree with you that to take away the exemption would be right

as probuably most of the congregations, i would probuably vote against any politician who tried to do a blanket change to the laws on this..

[dogknob]

25. Yeah, let's at least give them the opportunity to set up dummy corporations! n/t

[dickthegrouch]

28. No change to the law is necessary

There is plenty of precedent for revoking tax exempt status where it's being abused. The Catholic church is synonymous with abuse in every possible way.
The IRS needs to grow the balls, not the pols.

[vadawg]

15. hate the double post thing

[glinda]

29. I agree. When they involve themselves politically and financially. They no longer can

be Tax Exempt.

[Bluebear]

32. That is the meat and potatoes of it. You said it elegantly.

[glinda]

36. Thanks Bluebear. Now how can "we the people", get them held to the Law?

[FLDCVADem]

37. Untrue

I don't agree with what the Catholic church is doing, either with the effort in Maine, California or healthcare.

But I do wish that people that are constantly calling for tax exemption to be revoked would take a few minutes to learn about what does or doesn't constitute violations of tax exempt status.

Like what the church is doing or not, and I don't, they've done nothing to warrant losing their exemption.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

12. I'm SHOCKED!

:sarcasm:



This sucks. Why do they still have tax exemption?

[rwheeler31]

16. Why

This is so stupid.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

17. I kicked and recommended because...

...as a Catholic myself, I have personal experiences from 2009 that will most likely result in my seeking another church.

They're great at passing the collection basket.

When you have a need, it's "must suck to be you."

That's all I have to say on the subject.

[patrice]

19. I am sorry to say that, as they judge, I hope they are judged.

Is there greater weakness and error in the cumulative pain and despair created by mundane meanness, prosaic lies, petty gossip, dishonesty, and ordinary cheating, or in not wanting to live one's life without love and companionship?

[TexasObserver]

20. I despise them, and hope if there is a God, he hates them as much as I do.

[David Zephyr]

21. Yeah. Next campaign against us, we can put a spotlight on their shabby history.

They want to spend money telling lies about our persecuted community.

Then, by God, we should spend money educating the public on the truth about their sordid, vile history.

Priests in glass houses will learn not to throw stones when we turn the spotlight on them.

Turn around is fair play.

Edit for K&R.

[Withywindle]

22. That money could have gone a long way to feed the poor, spent wisely.

I'm not a Christian, but I've read the gospels.

Jesus didn't say word one, pro or con, about gay marriage. He said a LOT about religious hypocrites living high on the hog and rich people wasting money on everything else BUT helping the hungry and sick. None of it complimentary.

They've forfeited their right to tax-exempt status...well, back in the Middle Ages, really. But I'll be nice, I won't insist on back-dated payments (even though it would totally pay for health care reform).

[imdjh]

23. Wait a minute!!!! THIS IS THE GOLDEN GOOSE (in reverse kind of sort of )

As I understand it, the Maine constitution is Fucked Up when it comes to this scenario. The legislature can simply pass the law again, and the plebiscite can overturn it again. So, we keep passing the law, the Mormons and Catholics keep spending a fortune, and we tax the fuck out of them through marriage battles.

[LooseWilly]

24. Except the "taxes" just go to media outlets...

though, it's certainly an angle for approaching the issue as a war of attrition... and has wonderful repercussions in terms of discrediting the Church in the eyes of its "fleeced" parishioners...

:thumbsup:

[dsc]

30. and where does our money come from?

we outspent them in Maine and came close to them in California.

[Q3JR4]

26. Ok....

The following ad was bought and paid for by the Irony Police.

50 * Catholic * Diocese * contributed $550,000 * to the fight against same-sex marriage in Maine^. The state of Maine let child rapists ! and those who abetted child rapists *p* dictate who they were going to allow to be in committed relationships. ^^^^^^^^^^ Don't let <insert your state here> make the same mistake.


* Insert pictures of popes, saints, various vatican shots.
^ Insert pictures of happy same-sex couples standing in front of court houses hugging each other.
! Insert pictures of crying children.
*p* Insert picture of the last two popes.

Edited to add:
They want a fight, lets give them one.

Q3JR4.

[winyanstaz]

31. They are playing politics...time to take away the tax exemptions...

It is time to shut that church down anyways....they have left bodies of kids and raped little kids and distroyed little lives all over the world. They are a pedophile haven.
How DARE they even pretend to speak for God or that such as THEY are God's representitives?
When will the world finally stand up for the little child?

[Bluenorthwest]

33. Way to love your neighbors, Catholics

In other Catholic news today, the Irish child abuse seems to have been covered up for years by the upper levels of the so called 'Church'.

[Bluebear]

34. Thank you.

Just posted that little gem.

[sakabatou]

35. Bleagh

[barbtries]

38. doesn't this acknowledgment

give the state grounds to rescind their tax exempt status? shouldn't it?

[Ocracoker16]

39. disgusted but not suprised