Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
-United States Constitution
Recently, two Connecticut legislators seem to have lost their minds. In blatant disregard for the first amendment, they proposed a law which dictated who controlled the Catholic parishes in Connecticut. I don't know if I even need to comment on this, the contradictions and problems are so obvious. One of the legislators, McDonald, claimed, "A lot of misinformation has been spread about this proposal, and we ourselves are still learning exactly what its impact would be."
I read the bill myself. It's not ambiguous at all. It speaks of corporations formed by the Catholic church. These corporations are formed to control the assets of the parishes. "The corporation shall have a board of directors consisting of not less than seven nor more than thirteen lay members. The archbishop or bishop of the diocese or his designee shall serve as an ex-officio member of the board of directors without the right to vote." The bill quite clearly takes away the power of the archbishop or bishop to control his own parish.
How could any self-respecting U.S. citizen, let alone a legislator who is elected to represent the people, take this position? From what I have read, it's a complicated issue. Factors such as traditional anti-Catholocism in the Northeast to sex-abuse scandals to the debate of gay marriage all may have contributed to this bill. Whatever the causes, we are heading for a scary time if legislators are openly attacking churches in this manner.
Time for homework. Here are some good links, though:
Connecticut Legislators Come After Churches Who Stood for Marriage
Citizens Rally by the Thousands! Catholic Take-Over Bill Dies a Messy Death In Connecticut
