Archbishop Orders Minnesota Priests to Support or Stay Silent on Anti-Gay Amendment

Even as stories of sexual abuse and misconduct by members of the Catholic Church hierarchy unfold daily - a Dutch Cardinal has now been accused of perjury - the anti-gay jihad ordered by Rome continues. In Minnesota where an amendment that goes far beyond just banning same sex marriage is on the ballot, Archbishop John C. Nienstedt (who like his counterpart in New York, Archbishop Dolan appears to have never missed a meal) has ordered priests to either actively support the amendment or remain silent on the issue. So much for freedom of conscience in today's Catholic Church. The huge moral disconnect between turning a blind eye toward sexual abuse of minors, if not active aiding and abetting, and seeking to deny stability and any recognition to loving, committed same sex couples is stunning. I suspect that some day the Church will be viewed akin to the strident segregationists of 50 years ago. The American Independent looks at Nienstedt's fiat to priests. Here are highlights:

“There ought not be open dissension on this issue,” is the message the Catholic hierarchy is telling priests in Minnesota — “this issue” being same-sex marriage.

In a private speech to Minnesota’s priests last October, Archbishop John C. Nienstedt said that any priest who disagreed with the church’s efforts to place a constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples should remain silent. Any disagreements should be brought to him personally, he said. The Catholic Church in Minnesota has been a driving force for the anti-same-sex-marriage amendment since it passed onto the 2012 ballot last May.

Nienstedt later sent the text of that speech to priests who were unable to participate in the gathering. Someone in the church recently leaked the text to the Progressive Catholic Voice, a group working for reform within the church. On Thursday, PCV published statements condemning Nienstedt’s speech.

In the speech, Nienstedt told the priests he expects participation in getting the amendment passed from everyone within the church:

It is my expectation that all the priests and deacons in this Archdiocese will support this venture and cooperate with us in the important efforts that lie ahead. The gravity of this struggle, and the radical consequences of inaction propels me to place a solemn charge upon you all — on your ordination day, you made a promise to promote and defend all that the Church teaches. I call upon that promise in this effort to defend marriage. There ought not be open dissension on this issue. If any have personal reservations, I do not wish that they be shared publicly. If anyone believes in conscience that he cannot cooperate, I want him to contact me directly and I will plan to respond personally.

Minnesota’s Catholic hierarchy has come under intense scrutiny over its support for the anti-gay constitutional amendment.

In the run-up to the 2010 gubernatorial election, the church sent out approximately 400,000 DVDs and mailings urging Catholics to vote for Republican Tom Emmer, the only candidate in the race who opposed marriage equality for same-sex couples and a staunch Catholic. The campaign, paid for by an anonymous donor and produced by the Knight of Columbus, sparked protests against the church.

More recently, the Archdiocese’s lobbying wing, the Minnesota Catholic Conference, has joined with the National Organization for Marriage and the Minnesota Family Council to form the Minnesota for Marriage Coalition, a group dedicated to passing the amendment in November.