Catholic Parishes Revolt Against Bishop's Anti-Gay Directive

It is encouraging to see that some Catholics are waking up to the moral bankruptcy of the Catholic bishops and openly refusing to follow the anti-gay decrees being issued from bishops' palaces around the country. In Washington State where the Catholic bishops are seeking to over turn that state's new same sex marriage law, Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain has sought to have parishes gather signatures on the petitions needed to get the marriage law on the ballot for reversal. Two high profile parishes - including Seattle's cathedral - have flat out indicated that they will not participate in the effort. The Catholic Church power structure continues to be based on a feudal system from the Dark Ages, but at some point if the serfs and peasants refuse to follow the orders of lords - and that is clearly how the bishops view themselves - the system can be defeated. Here are highlights from the Seattle Post:

A second big Catholic church in Seattle, St. Joseph Parish on Capitol Hill, says it will not circulate ballot petitions on a referendum to repeal the state’s new same-sex marriage law. The pastor at St. Joseph, the Rev. John D. Whitney, S.J., warned two months ago that a Catholic bishops’ letter denouncing marriage equality “will bring great pain” among those “so often marginalized in our church.”

The website at St. Joseph carries a terse notice: “Please be aware that Fr. Whitney has decided that no petitions will be permitted anywhere on the campus of St. Joseph.”

The pastor of St. James Cathedral, Fr. Michael Ryan, announced to parishoners on Wednesday that the diocesan cathedral would not participate in the Referendum 74 petition drive — which has been endorsed by Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain. “After discussing the matter with the members of the Cathedral’s pastoral ministry team, I have decided that we will NOT participate in the collecting of signatures in our parish,” Ryan wrote. “Doing so would, I believe, prove hurtful and seriously divisive in our community.”

[P]rominent Catholic laypersons have supported marriage equality. Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the same-sex marriage bill into law, as did Maryland’s Catholic Gov. Martin O’Malley with similar legislation in his state. The chief sponsor of marriage equality in the Legislature, State Sen. Ed Murray, is a practicing Catholic.

As The Stranger reports, it appears that at least five other parishes have said "No" to the bishops' anti-gay jihad:

St. Mary Catholic parish in the Central District has made its stance official, as several Catholic parishes are revolting against Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain's call to join the campaign to repeal same-sex marriage. Tricia Wittmann-Todd, the pastoral life coordinator at St. Mary, sent a letter to her congregation this afternoon that calls the signature-gathering campaign for Referendum 74 potentially "hurtful and divisive to our parish."

Politically, it's a revolt from the local Catholic church's hierarchy. Socially, it's an acknowledgment that gay people are welcome—even beloved—members of Catholic congregations, and the laity will defend them from the bigoted bishops on high.

Thus far, we have also confirmed that St. James and St. Joseph are refusing the petitions. We're also told that St. Catherine, St. Patrick, St. Therese, and Christ Our Hope have refused the signature drive.