Posted on 07/10/2007 5:36:33 AM PDT by markomalley
New Haven, Jul 9, 2007 / 10:50 am (CNA).- The Knights of Columbus was shocked to learn that 16 of its members, who hold political office in the Massachusetts Legislature, voted against the same-sex marriage amendment in June.
The June 14 vote, which decided whether same-sex marriage would be put on the 2008 ballot, got only 45 votes — five votes shy of the 50-vote requirement.
"It is certainly embarrassing to the order and to every Knight out there who is firm in his support of traditional marriage and the right to life," Pat Korten, vice-president for communications for the Knights, told LifeSiteNews.com.
The 16 Knights who voted to defeat the marriage amendment include: Speaker of the House Sal Dimasi; House Majority Leader John Rogers; Reps. Garrett Bradley, Bob Deleo, Stephen Di Natale, Chris Donelan, Christopher Fallon, Kevin Honan, Charles Murphy, Angelo Puppolo, Bob Spellane, Bob Nyman, and Paul McMurtry; Senators Tom McGee, Michael Knapik, and Michael Morrissey.
Among these, seven are rated "pro-choice" by Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts' Advocacy Fund: Dimasi, Bradley, Donelan, Honan, Murphy, Spellane, and McGee.
The Knights of Columbus had led the statewide drive to collect 170,000 petitions in support of the legal definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Furthermore, 500 Knights delegates at the state convention had unanimously approved a resolution demanding that the Legislature allow a ballot for citizens to decide the fate of same-sex marriage.
Korten says the Knights can only employ fraternal correction and prayer in this case.
A Knights member must be 18 and a practicing Catholic “who is recognized as such by the local Church where he goes or the ordinary of the diocese," said Korten.
It is up to the diocese or the Church hierarchy to decide whether these lawmakers are no longer Catholic, Korten told LifeSiteNews.com. "We as laymen do not presume to decide whether other laymen are Catholics or not," he said.
Where is your sarcasm tag? :-)
Democrat FIRST......CAtholic SECOND!!!
As I saw on a car recently, you cannot be Catholic and Pro-Abortion at the same time.......I suppose that goes for gay-marriage, too......
This is a disgrace.
The K of C is shocked that there are many “Kennedy Catholics” in Massachusettes?
“Cafeteria Catholics” comes to mind. They pick and choose which things they want to embrace
The Knights should tear off their epaulets and break their swords.
But you can decide whether or not to kick someone out of the Knights. What's stopping you?
KofC ping!
So what the Knights are saying is if one of their members supports NAMBLA they as a group could do nothing about it. Kick them out, show some spine.
I don’t care if they were Knights of Columbus or Knights of the Round Table,the fact is they effectively took away our right to decide with a vote the fundamental definition of marriage and that totally pissed me off !!!
There is never any question that evil is in the world.
The only question is how do good men respond do it.
Ok Knights, the ball is in your court. What are you going to do?
The KoC has a real opportunity here.
They can stand up and censure/eject those “members” who obviously don’t share their values, or they can suck it up and continue to reap PR advantage by having “nominal” members who are legislators.
Belonging to the Catholic Church is a choice that involves personal commitments and beliefs. The doctrines of the Church are not optional.
Catholic politicians need to be able to reconcile their religion with their political positions. To do otherwise is blasphemy. If they are unable to reconcile their beliefs, the honest and decent thing to do would be to either leave politics or leave the Church.
The K of C should know by now that a politician is a person without convictions — especially religious. Opportunism is the name of the game.
I knew something was very different about Massachuetts since 1972 when it was the only state won by McGovern in the 1972 Presidential election.
You beat me to it. For many demo/sociaists their party is their religion and their religion is only a social club.
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