Catholic Bishops Make “Reprehensible” Move, Washington Senator Says

Bishops of the Catholic Church are mobilizing their parishes to repeal the new marriage equality law in Washington, a move the gay state senator who helped push for it there calls "reprehensible."

State senator Ed Murray, who is Catholic, expressed his disappointment to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which first reported on a letter announcing the move that was delivered to faithful ahead of Easter and signed by Archbishop J. Peter Sartain and Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo.

"To use church resources, in advancing a measure that promotes discrimination, is incredibly disappointing," Murray told the P-I. Murray said he expected the Catholic Church would refuse to perform same-sex marriages but not that it would transform its churches into signature-gathering centers.

Opponents of same-sex marriage have to collect 120,577 petition signatures before June 6 in order to add a repeal to the ballot. So far they are lagging way behind, according to reports on their efforts. The law was signed in February by Gov. Christine Gregoire, who is Catholic.