Fr. Potato Head

By Leila Marie Lawler ( articles ) | Feb 28, 2006

A friend alerts me to the link in seattlecatholic.com to this brilliant piece of editorializing by Fr. – excuse me – the Very Reverend Thomas Faucher in the Idaho Statesman. Father takes the opportunity to broaden his audience from the usual Sunday Mass crowd at St. Mary’s to let us know what’s troubling him.

The Idaho Legislature has approved a constitutional amendment to define marriage in a manner which will ensure that same-gender "marriage" could never happen in Idaho. The amendment is subject to voter approval in November.

This is at its core an anti-gay movement.

Note that we are meant to apply for ourselves the proper tone of outrage at the idea of an anti-gay movement, although I for one see no problem with the Idaho Legislature, presumably a duly elected body of lawmakers representing their constituents (including parishioners of St. Mary’s), seeking to remedy an assault by an essentially Marxist-driven gang (“gays”) on an immemorial institution (“marriage”) – a remedy that coincides perfectly with what the Catholic Church teaches. Actually, as a Catholic, I’d have to admit that anything billed as “at its core an anti-gay movement” would meet with my approval before I really got a chance to take much of a look at it.

I guess Himself doesn’t agree with me. After dismissing the idea that the legislature has any business in the gay marriage controversy since homosexual activity is legal in Idaho – thinking with the mind of the Church, Father! Way to go! -- he opines that children and society simply benefit from stable relationships, and so gay marriage is really the only just solution. I was momentarily left breathless by the several leaps of faith in his train of thought, but suddenly, I got it: it’s not that Father favors homosexuality, it’s that he’s concerned about the children. Alrighty then.