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Poll: California Catholics strongly support homosexual unions

July 27, 2010

A survey of over 3,000 Californians conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute in June has found that Catholics strongly support the legal recognition of homosexual unions.

Only 22% of white Catholics and 23% of Latino Catholics oppose the legal recognition of homosexual unions. 37% of white Catholics and 44% of Latino Catholics support same-sex marriage, while an additional 41% of white Catholics and 28% of Latino Catholics support homosexual civil unions. In contrast, 53% of Latino Protestants oppose the legal recognition of homosexual unions.

The survey did not distinguish Catholics by frequency of Church attendance.

“Protestants are much more likely to hear about homosexuality from their clergy than Catholics,” the survey report added. “Only 29% of white Catholics and 42% of Latino Catholics report hearing about homosexuality from their clergy.”

“All Catholics are obliged to oppose the legal recognition of homosexual unions,” the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith taught in 2003. “The Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions. The common good requires that laws recognize, promote and protect marriage as the basis of the family, the primary unit of society. Legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean not only the approval of deviant behavior, with the consequence of making it a model in present-day society, but would also obscure basic values which belong to the common inheritance of humanity.”

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

• Religion and Same-sex Marriage in California: A New Look at Attitudes and Values Two Years after Proposition 8 (Public Religion Research Institute)
• Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions between Homosexual Persons (2003)

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• Posted by: bsp1022 - Jul. 29, 2010 1:05 PM ET USA

  California Catholic / guilty as charged. Sadly, today, it's not possible to know what it means to self-identify as a "Catholic", so, after 62 years, I no longer do. [Call me a slow learner.] Another poll reports that half the "Catholics" in the pews don't believe in the Real Presence. I have to ask: "Why are they going to Mass?" Without the Real Presence, we have nothing.

• Posted by: Alcuin - Jul. 28, 2010 12:51 AM ET USA

  I heard one very courageous (and loving) priest give a homily on homosexuality five or six years ago. It's was the only time I've ever seen parishioners walk out. The Church can demonstrate through natural law (and scripture) that homosexuality is disordered. However, I have have never heard any Catholic articulate why we should care if our neighbors do disordered things. Abortion is deeply unjust, necessitation intervention. But gay marriage? They're only hurting themselves.

• Posted by: mjmallinger3379 - Jul. 27, 2010 6:24 PM ET USA

  I also agree with Gil125, and I'd be interested in a poll of those of us who attend Mass every Sunday as to how many times the subject of homosexuality has been broached in a homily (sermon) by their parish priest(s) anywhere in the country. It's never happened in my Parish, or any Parish I've ever attended -- at least not since the 50's! Mike Mallinger

• Posted by: patriot6908 - Jul. 27, 2010 5:23 PM ET USA

  Well put by Gil125. By and large on the crisis of immorality in this country whether in sexual disorders, pornography, abortion, our bishops are not exactly shepherds protecting their flocks against the wolves that are tearing apart the Church. However, this poll is also coming out of a quite liberal source so I would question strongly its accuracy and objectivity.

• Posted by: Gil125 - Jul. 27, 2010 3:40 PM ET USA

  Gee, and after all the pastoral letters the bishops have sent out and all the homilies all those fine California priests have preached, telling the Faithful not to get their view of marriage from their left-wing newspapers, but from the Magisterium. In fairness, the bishops did issue a letter in favor of Prop 8 and there have been a few items in the Archdiocesan newspaper on the subject, but very few. And from the pulpit? Well, not in my parish---or any one I know of.