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Couples criticize church role in gay unions | SeacoastOnline.com: "Couples criticize church role in gay unions
They say diocese should not be involved in political fight




August 09, 2009 6:00 AM

Two lifelong Catholic couples who are parishioners at St. Raphael's Church in Kittery, Maine, are saying they find legal, moral and ethical problems with efforts of the Portland diocese to repeal the state's same-sex marriage law. Yet they say when they have brought their concerns to the church's hierarchy, they have been ignored.

Jack and Rose Dougherty and Armand and Ann LaSelva, all of Eliot, say they are not involved in the efforts of gay marriage proponents such as Equality Maine, but are merely Catholics who are deeply concerned about the overt political tone taken by their church in recent months.

Their issues range from what they say are essentially dictates from the pulpit, to the fact that diocesan staff are on loan to pro-repeal organization Stand for Marriage of Maine, to legally questionable contributions to Stand for Marriage by the diocese.

And, they say, these efforts are testing their resolve to remain church-going Catholics.

At issue is efforts by Stand for Marriage to repeal a law passed by the Legislature last spring extending civil marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples in Maine. Under the state's Constitution, citizens can mount a 'citizen's veto' of a law, as long as they gather signatures equal to 10 percent of those who voted in the previous gubernatorial election.

That means more than 55,000 signatures had to be gathered to place repeal of the law before voters this November. Stand for Marriage recently submitted 100,000 signatures to the Secretary of State's office for verification.

Shortly after passage of the law, the diocese began what the couples say was an 'overtly political' campaign to convince parishioners at churches statewide to sign the repeal petition. For six weeks, included in the church bulletin was an insert from the Maine Marriage Initiative (a group under the Stand for Marriage umbrella organization).

The insert stated it was intended 'to inform parishioners about the issues surrounding same-sex marriage and why the Diocese of Portland is opposed to this idea.' Each detailed court cases, claims by proponents the diocese felt were unsubstantiated and potential loss of religious freedom.

Each of those six weeks, said the couples, the priest was to make reference to the insert and the petition, and at the end of the Mass parishioners stood at the back of the church, petitions in hand.

'I resent getting a bulletin and in it, it takes a stance against gay marriage. That's not the church's place. Then you walk out of the church and you have the Knights of Columbus standing there getting people to sign the petition,' said Armand LaSelva.

'It was so disingenuous,' said Ann.

The LaSelvas are both retired educators, Armand having had 'the distinct honor' of being called a 'fag enabler' by the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church, whose members regularly travel the country to protest gays and lesbians.

LaSelva was superintendent of the Dover School Department in 2001 when he overrode the Dover High principal and allowed to stand the vote of graduating seniors to name a lesbian couple as class sweethearts.

'As far as I'm concerned, if we're citizens, we all have equal rights. If you want to be her girlfriend or take her for your lawfully wedded spouse, be my guest.'

Jack Dougherty, a retired engineer, said the actions of the church during those six weeks violated what he believes to be a key underpinning of American jurisprudence, the separation of church and state.

He wrote Bishop Richard Malone in June, saying, 'I believe you are absolutely wrong in trying to impose ultra conservative, Roman Catholic Church views on the civil law of the state of Maine with regard to same-sex marriage.'

He said he never heard back from Malone, 'nor did I expect to.'

Another concern expressed by the couples was the donation, widely publicized, of $100,000 by the diocese to Stand for Marriage.

'They don't have any business doing that. That's money taken under one pretense and used for another, and it's political,' said Jack.

Marc Mutty, the spokesperson for the diocese on loan to Stand for Marriage as one of its top strategists, said no money taken from the regular collection plate has gone to the repeal efforts. Some churches did hold separate collections, but those were announced as such and people could opt not to contribute, he said.

He said as a nonprofit entity, the church is required to accept limits on how much money can be spent and lobbying can be performed, 'and we are well within those limits.' He did say, however, that the church had to create a political action committee to 'meet the letter of the law.'

As for the separation of church and state, he said that concept 'was created to keep the state's nose out of the church, not the other way around. It means the state is not to interfere with the course of business of a religious organization.'

He said he knows there are Catholics who don't see eye to eye with the church on this, but said the diocese is coming from a position of 'fundamental Catholic doctrine.'

'They misunderstand the church's teachings about marriage. It's inconsistent to say that same-sex marriage is equal to heterosexual marriage and say you're upholding Catholic doctrine,' he said. 'This is not about disrespecting people in any way. This is about marriage.'

The Doughertys and LaSelvas said they understand their church's stand about marriage. All in their 70s, they've been practicing Catholics for a long, long time. If the church chooses not to marry gay people, that's its right, they said. But to get in the thick of the political fray over a civil marriage law is wrong.

'Yes, it tests my faith,' said Ann. 'When I see what they're doing, it's hurtful to call it my church.'

'I think God loves us all and we shouldn't be judging,' said Rose.

'I think God loves us all, but not the Catholic Church,' said Ann."