Nation In Brief

Staff Reports
CATHOLIC CHURCHES IN MINNESOTA FORM AD HOC GROUPS TO BAN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Archbishop John Nienstedt

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA -- In a letter sent out to his parishes on October 4th, Twin Cities Roman Catholic Archbishop John Nienstedt, urged his parish priests to form committees to help get the proposed anti-same-sex marriage amendment passed by the state's voters in 2012.

"It is imperative that we marshal our resources to educate the faithful about the church's teachings on these matters, and to vigorously organize and support a grass-roots effort to get out the vote to support the passage of this amendment," Nienstedt wrote.

The Archbishop's letter also directs priests to "appoint a captain or co-chairs to lead a special parish ad hoc committee to spearhead this effort." The Catholic Church's leadership have said that they are taking this "unique" and unusual step because they see the amendment as one of the most important issues the Catholics in Minnesota face in the next election cycle. With nearly 1.1 million Catholics in Minnesota, this organising effort could be a powerful force in getting boots on the ground to support the amendment to change the state's Constitution to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

The Star Tribune Reports:

Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, said the state's other bishops are expected to send out similar letters, "if they haven't already done so,” adding that "We believe it [marriage] is a vital social institution, and it's under attack in the courts, the Legislature and the culture. And it would have profound consequences if marriage is in fact redefined. That's why we're putting extraordinary resources toward making sure this marriage amendment gets passed."

But the Rev. Mike Tegeder, pastor at both St. Frances Cabrini and Gichitwaa Kateri churches in Minneapolis, said he spoke up against the effort at a meeting of priests and the archbishop this week. Tegeder, a frequent critic of Archbishop Nienstedt's policies, said he believes the letter calling for parishes to form committees to organize a get-out-the-vote effort is "imprudent" and "divisive," saying that;

Religion and politics expert John Green said he's never heard of U.S. Catholic leaders encouraging clergy to form special committees at churches to mobilize Catholics to vote on particular issues. 

"Oftentimes Catholic bishops ask priests to read letters ... or let it be known the church definitely has a position on a certain issue," said Green, professor of political science at the University of Akron, who studies politics and religion."But actually instructing people to organize committees to support a ballot issue is very unusual.”It may be very divisive," he added. "Roman Catholic parishes tend to be large and diverse." 

Green also said he doesn't think the church has violated its tax-exempt status "as long as it stays focused on the issue. If it got involved in any way with partisanship, with a political party or with a candidate, it would be highly problematic." 

“There is all kinds of wonderful ways to promote marriage, which I do on a regular basis and other churches are doing. You don't promote marriage by taking away the rights of a small segment of the population, many of whom are not Catholic or have no connection to the Catholic Church." 

HUNDREDS OF LGBTQ VOTERS JOIN CONSERVATIVE PARTY TO REELECT GOP NY STATE SENATOR

Senator Mark Grisanti, (R-Buffalo)

BUFFALO, NEW YORK -- More than 250 gay, lesbian, and same-sex marriage activists have officially registered as members of the Erie County Conservative Party, in New York  which strongly opposes same-sex marriage. According to the activists  they're trying to protect State Senator Mark Grisanti, (R-Buffalo), who had campaigned as an opponent of same-sex marriage, and then ended up casting a vote that was crucial to legalising it in the New York State Assembly. The vote drew both applause and vilification. It also seriously jeopardised his chances at re-election as same-sex marriage opponents, in particular the National Organisation For Marriage, (NOM) vowed to get GOP Senators who cast affirmative votes thrown out in the next election cycle in the state.

According to political analysts, should Grisanti seek probable re-election as a Republican, failure to secure the Conservative Party nomination could doom his chances. Michael Long, the New York State Conservative Party chairman, said he will never support the candidacy of any Republican who voted in favor of same-sex marriage.

The senator's grateful new supporters intended to ensure he receives the Conservative nomination.

"There's an old phrase my dad used to use," said Kitty Lambert-Rudd, a same-sex marriage activist said to WGRZ NBC NEWS 2 in Buffalo. "If you can't beat them, join them. And once you're in, take them over and throw them out."

Rudd spearheaded the drive to register voters as conservatives and succeeded in convincing 250 Erie County residents, along with at least 50 more voters in the surrounding counties represented by Senator Grisanti to switch party affiliations and to vote for him.

According to Erie County Republican Elections Commissioner Ralph Mohr;

"This is one of the most concentrated efforts we've seen in a long time."  The Conservative Party in Erie County has approximately 11,900 registered voters he added.

OREGON GAY RIGHTS GROUP CONSIDERS BALLOT MEASURE TO LEGALISE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

EUGENE, OREGON -- In a published account in the Register Guard newspaper, Oregon's largest LGBTQ equality rights group, Basic Rights Oregon, is considering a tactic to overturn overturning a constitutional gay-marriage ban. During the 2004 general election, Oregon was among 11 states that passed ballot measures banning gay marriage — with 57 percent of the state's voters approving the measure.

Last month, Basic Rights Oregon announced it was exploring a Marriage 2012 campaign and, simultaneously, organized an advisory group made up of community leaders and campaign professionals to help finalize that decision in late October or early November. Volunteers have recently been working the phone bank at the BRO’s Eugene headquarters, trying to gauge support for marriage equality in the state.

The state’s leading marriage-equality foe, the Oregon Family Council, has promised to give BRO “the fight of their lives to protect marriage” if they start a ballot measure campaign.

If next year Oregon joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and the District of Columbia in becoming the seventh state to offer marriage to both straight and gay couples, it will be the first state to legalize same-sex marriage via popular vote and the first to overturn a constitutional gay-marriage ban reports the Register-Guard newspaper.

“Deciding whether to go to the ballot is not something we take lightly nor a decision we will make alone,” said BRO Executive Director Jeana Frazzini in a statement on group’s website. “We want to hear from the experts and leaders on the Advisory Group as well as from the larger LGBT and allied community, because we cannot move forward unless we have a viable ballot measure as well as a supportive and engaged base of support.”