Organized religions have not historically embraced sexual minorities, nor advocated for their rights.
So, while it’s appalling that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia donated $50,000 to overturn marriage equality in Maine, it’s not surprising.
Nor is it surprising that, when contacted, an archdiocese spokesperson e-mailed PGN a standard statement and, for four days, dodged our questions about where the money actually comes from. (Specifically, we wanted to know if the $50,000 is from Sunday collections or from another source. We’d also like to know how much the archdiocese has spent on child-abuse scandals, but we aren’t holding our breath for that information either.)
Here’s the full statement: “The Archdiocese of Philadelphia did make a contribution to the Diocese of Portland’s efforts against the legalization of gay marriage in Maine. The Bishop of Portland requested a donation from all of the United States bishops to assist with education, to help people understand the timeless teaching of the Church that marriage is between one man and one woman.
“As part of the Universal Church, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia responds to various requests for donations which come from outside the diocese, in order to advance the mission of the Church by promoting and defending the teaching of Christ. Examples of contributions which have been made by the Archdiocese for other purposes include those to feed the hungry and provide for the needy in mission countries; to assist victims of natural disasters; to support Catholic military chaplains and pastoral care for our men and women in uniform and to defend the dignity and sanctity of life from conception to natural death. The Archdiocese responds to such particular requests in addition to its ongoing commitment to provide tuition assistance for Catholic education, to sustain struggling parishes and to ensure that the Gospel message is known and realized.”
To be clear, the archdiocese just equated preventing gay marriage with feeding the hungry and assisting victims of natural disasters.
Perhaps we at PGN are misinformed, but it’s nice to know our archdiocese has an extra $50K sitting around: And good to know that all of Philadelphia’s hungry are fed, the homeless are sheltered and the sick cared for. Now that Philadelphia’s poor, sick and hungry are accounted for, the archdiocese should certainly invest its resources — gleaned, we assume, from collection plates — to prevent loving couples from forging lives together in a state 400 miles away.