Catholics Defy Bishops and Pray for Gay Marriage

I often want to pull my hair out over the way ion which far too many Catholics continue to not only listen to but also give deference to the morally bankrupt, criminal cover up conspirators of the Catholic Church hierarchy.  With the Catholic bishops leading the current charge to deprive LGBT citizens  the civil rights enjoyed by others, it is refreshing to see that some Catholics have seen the light and are giving the bishops the figurative middle finger in defiance of the bishops hate filled agenda.  A case in point is Catholics in Seattle, Washington who have held a pray service voting for the affirmation of gay marriage on November 6th.  The Seattle Post Intelligencer looks at the event which I hope will become something common:  Catholics openly saying "No" to the foul hierarchy.  Here are story excerpts:

The folk mass hymns and gospels were familiar, the response "And with your spirit" recited Sundays in church by millions of Catholics, but the 120 faithful gathered outside Seattle's St. James Cathedral on Sunday afternoon were praying for a cause their bishops are campaigning against.

Mobilized by Catholics for Marriage Equality, they celebrated a "Liturgy of Love," praying for the recognition of same-sex unions and the passage of Referendum 74, which would legalize marriage between persons of the same gender.

"I would just say the God I have come to know is not one to tell people they are not equal," said Robert Gavino, a Seattle University student.

John House, a parishoner at Our Lady of Sorrows parish in Snoqualmie, added: "Catholics believe Christ's primary message is one of love, and Catholic social teaching teaches us that God loves everybody. We are standing up for centuries of Catholic social teaching."  They are also standing against their bishops.

We disagree, said those on the steps of St. James Cathedral.  "I find (bishops' claims) perplexing:. Nothing about marriage equality in the state of Washington is any infringement on liberty. This is about civil marriage and civil law," said John Morfield, a longtime parishoner at St. Mary's Catholic Church.

And Barbara Guzzo, organizer of Catholics for Marriage, argued that the bishops have brought "anguish, division and sadness" to the faithful, "particularly those with a gay person in their families, the hurt that this has caused."

Fr. John Whitney, S.J., pastor of St. Joseph Church, has encouraged discussion and helped a recent meeting to promote reconciliation between those who share the bishops' passionate opposition and those who back Referendum 74. "Authority never supplants conscience," he told parishoners in a recent "e-blast."

But stridently conservative bishops across the country have brought politics to the pulpit -- and delivered dictates of what belongs in the consciences of those in the pews.

State Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, present at St. James on Sunday, is a practicing Catholic and chief sponsor of marriage equality in the Legislature. Murray said he was outside the cathedral as a demonstration of his faith.  "I think any time we show solidarity with those on the margins of our society, it is an expression of our faith," said Murray. "We (gays) are certainly on the margins . . . at least in the hierarchy's structure."

Sadly, nowadays the Catholic bishops have become one of the biggest obstacles to the fulfillment of the Gospel message.  The principal message is one of hate and division and exclusion.  Their true gods are power, money and control over others.  The true message of Christ is nowhere on their radar screen.