Legislative Attack on Catholic Church in Connecticut
March 7, 2009 by admin
Filed under News from the Knights, Worth Reading
On Thursday, March 5, a bill was introduced in the Connecticut state legislature, and immediately referred to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. It targets one – and only one – church in the state, the Catholic Church, and would strip the bishops and priests of the state of any power to exercise administrative authority over their parishes.
“Raised Bill No. 1098” is a committee bill and does not bear the names of any individual sponsors. Both co-chairmen of the committee, State Sen. Andrew McDonald and State Rep. Michael Lawlor, are outspoken proponents of same-sex marriage in Connecticut and have been critical of the Catholic Church’s opposition to both civil unions and same-sex marriage.
The stated purpose of the bill is to “provide for the investigation of the misappropriation of funds by religious corporations,” but it deals only with the corporate structure of the Catholic Church. No other church is mentioned, or would be subject to the bill’s requirements.
The measure has been put on a legislative fast track, with hearings scheduled for Wednesday, March 11, less than a week after its introduction. Knights of Columbus, and all concerned Connecticut Catholics, are encouraged to attend the hearing that day and express their opposition to the bill. They may also call or write the committee co-chairmen, State Sen. Andrew McDonald (800-842-1420 or McDonald@senatedems.ct.gov), and State Rep. Michael Lawlor (800-842-8267 or MLawlor99@juno.com.
Bill 1098 is clearly unconstitutional. For more than 200 years, federal courts have consistently held that the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution bars the government from interfering in the internal affairs of churches. This legislation not only violates that fundamental principle, but also would single out the Catholic Church for discriminatory treatment applied to no other religious organization.
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I am a non-practicing, confirmed Catholic, looking to possibly recommence attending mass and becoming part of the Catholic community again, but I am slightly concerned about messages such as these.
Do you not find it slightly hypocritical to call out the legislature for singling out the Catholic Church in this new bill? You are crying foul over something that the Church regularly practices – singling out and discriminating against one particular group.
I’ve always believed that the true message of Jesus is to love one another and accept one another NO MATTER the sin, perceived or otherwise, so long as it does no egregious harm to another. If you are a good person and want to worship, no Church or man or woman should be able to turn you away. In this sense, truly, the Church does not practice what it preaches.
You can hide behind the Constitution all you wish, but the very basic message of your article is “Do not discriminate against us because of our practices.”
It saddens me that this is the first thing I was greeted with as I contemplate a return to Catholicism. Too bad for me…and you.