MASSACHUSETTS CATHOLIC CONFERENCE URGES CATHOLICS TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST PRO-SSM LEGISLATORS: From the Boston Globe

[Plus more tax-exemption-revocation threats. --Eve]

As legislative elections loom, the Massachusetts Catholic Conference is sending letters to all 710 parishes in the state urging Catholics to "share their profound disappointment" with lawmakers who did not vote to ban gay marriage earlier this year.

The mailings, issued by the lobbyist for the state's Catholic bishops, also prodded Catholics to offer their "highest praise" for lawmakers who opposed gay marriage during this spring's Constitutional Convention, saying they acted "so courageously in favor of traditional marriage."

While the letters made no reference to Election Day, they are arriving just five months before all 200 seats in the House and Senate are up for grabs on Nov. 2. The mailings did not endorse particular lawmakers or compare incumbent legislators to their opponents, but they follow earlier attempts by the bishops and the conference to influence the Legislature on gay marriage.

The Massachusetts Legislature voted by a slim margin in March to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2006 that would ban gay marriage, but establish civil unions for gay couples. Gays and lesbians began marrying legally in Massachusetts May 17, the result of a November ruling by the Supreme Judicial Court.

The recent church mailings assessed lawmakers based on the votes they cast during the Constitutional Convention in February and March and urged priests to "share this information with your parishioners through your parish bulletin and other means." ...

"I think the Massachusetts Catholic Conference is itching to get its tax exemption revoked," said Robert Boston, spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a nonpartisan, Washington-based advocacy group that is critical of involvement by religious organizations in electoral politics. "It would be difficult to look at this as anything other than a command of who to vote for and who to vote against, and the IRS code is very clear that churches and other religious bodies may not engage in that type of activity."

Daniel Avila, associate director for policy and research at the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, disagreed, saying the timing of the mailing had nothing to do with the elections. Rather, he said, it was merely sent on the heels of the debate. ...

In a document posted on the web, the church singles out for praise two Democratic senators, Robert S. Creedon Jr. of Brockton and Richard T. Moore of Uxbridge, and 15 representatives "who took an active role in the debates and/or behind the scenes to garner the greatest protection possible" for heterosexual marriage. The 15 House members were from the Democratic and Republican parties and included Representative Philip Travis of Rehoboth, who championed a constitutional amendment that would have banned gay marriage and Vermont-style civil unions.

In addition, the document lists 45 legislators who "voted in agreement with the MCC's position 100 percent."

The document describes 76 legislators as "core supporters of same-sex marriage opposed to letting the people vote" on a constitutional amendment proposal.

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posted by Eve at 8:35 PM VOTE

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