Bulletins

February 22, 2015

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Most distressing about the recent declarations pertaining to marriages in Alabama is that the highest court in these United States declined to stay a federal injunction preventing the Alabama Attorney General from enforcing several provisions of his state's law defining marriage as a legal union of one man and one woman. A dissenting opinion observed that "when courts declare state laws unconstitutional and enjoin state officials from enforcing them, our ordinary practice is to suspend those injunctions from taking effect pending appellate review" and expressed concern that "this acquiescence may well be seen as a signal of the Court's intended resolution of that question."

Please read that last phrase again carefully.

A little over a week ago we found out that there is no significant group of legislators in the US Congress who will weigh in on either side of the constitutional issue. What is now beyond debate is that professional observers of decision makers are extraordinarily confident that we soon will be living in a country whose 14th Amendment will be understood by the federal judiciary to guarantee the right of two men or two women to hire an officer of the State to declare them wed.

Should we ignore this? No. Should we worry about being accused of imposing our values on others? No. That is precisely what every law does. Is this not just a matter of public policy? No. Actually it is a matter of just public policy and public policy matters.

In addition to your children being forced to learn about sodomy in our publicly funded schools and your being forced to pretend to approve of it in order to keep your job, behold the new stick that will be used to beat the Church.

With the Mayor of DC already trying to enact legislation that would strip religious exemptions from schools' obligation to approve and fund homosexual activity, we know that a constitutional right to gay "marriage" will be used as a weapon against the Church to force her schools, hospitals and chanceries to retain their employees who enter into gay "marriages" or face crippling penalties. Catholic institutions terminating employees for public immorality will be regarded by the State as guilty of denying others their constitutional rights. This has the potential to close every Catholic institution in the country. To that end, if our bishops seek only a religious exemption from these laws they run the risk of leaving their parishioners in the lurch with their careers, businesses, properties and charities.

In addition to reading The Lord of the World by Robert Hugh Benson, another work of his called Come Rack, Come Rope might offer an inspiring peek into the past and possible future.

There is more to come. In the meantime, pray and fast!

Fr. Christopher J .Pollard