Quote of the Day

Lay American Catholics remain at the forefront of supporting LGBT rights.

Catholic legislators and governors have been some of the most vocal advocates for inclusive state laws. In Illinois, one state lawmaker said she supported the bill "as a Catholic follower of Jesus and the Pope," and the speaker of the Illinois State House, Michael Madigan, cited Pope Francis's question, "Who am I to judge?" as his reason for supporting the bill.

Poll after poll shows that Catholic laypeople support marriage equality. A Quinnipiac poll found that Catholics are the only Christian denomination with a majority supporting same-sex marriage in Virginia. A Pew poll found that 71 percent of Catholics in the U.S. believe homosexuality should be accepted by society. All six New England states have marriage equality laws, and the Public Religion Research Institute suggests that over-representation of Catholics in the northeast compared to the rest of the U.S. may have played a part.

The Catholic Church is actually quite supportive of LGBT people. It's just that the sheep are well ahead of their shepherds. With Pope Francis, though, change is in the air. He wants pastors to smell of the sheep! He's asked whom he is to judge gay people seeking a relationship with the Lord. He slapped the wrists of conservative Catholics who fixate on gay marriage and abortion. And he's avoided preaching on the topic, instead focusing on the poor and God's love. Might U.S. bishops take a cue from their leader?

– Michael O'Loughlin
"The Catholic Church Isn't Anti-Gay, But Are the Bishops?"
The Huffington Post
December 10, 2013

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
What Part of Jesus' Invitation to "Be Not Afraid" Don't the Bishops Get?
Three Excellent Responses to Cardinal Dolan
Why the Bishops Are Being Ignored
Responding to Whiny Catholic Bishops Who Cry Victim
A Head and Heart Response to the Catholic Hierarchy's Opposition to Marriage Equality
Quote of the Day – November 8, 2013
Responding to Bishop Tobin's Remarks on Gay Marriage
Progressive Perspectives of Archbishop Nienstedt's Anti-Gay Activism
Doug Mataconis on the Bishops, Religious Freedom, and Living in a Civil Society
Quote of the Day – December 5, 2013
"If the People Don't Believe It, It's Not True"

Image: Associated Press/Craig Ruttle.