A new petition by
American clergy in support of a federal constitutional
amendment against same-sex marriage includes not only
evangelical Protestant leaders, a few rabbis, and a
Mormon official but also more than two dozen
Catholic cardinals, archbishops, and bishops. That
large number of Catholic backers is substantially more than
has previously come out publicly in favor of banning
same-sex marriage, reports The New York Times.
"The personal involvement of bishops and
cardinals is significantly greater this time than in
2004," Patrick Korten, spokesman for the lay Catholic
group Knights of Columbus, told the Times, referring
to the last time same-sex marriage came up for a vote
in Congress.
Organizers of the petition drive included aides
to Republican senators Bill Frist of Tennessee, Rick
Santorum of Pennsylvania, and Sam Brownback of Kansas.
The Senate has scheduled a vote on the proposed
constitutional amendment in June, in the hopes of
rallying their conservative base during this midterm
election year.
The clergy who've signed the petition have
promised to give out postcards that congregants can
send to their senators expressing their support for
the amendment. The Knights of Columbus alone is handing out
10 million postcards to Catholic parishioners.
"We think the American people are on our side on
this, and we want the Senate to know it," Archbishop
John J. Myers of Newark, N.J., told the
Times. But a recent Pew Research poll from
March showed that only 51% of Americans oppose
same-sex marriage, down from 63% in 2004. (The
Advocate)