Thousands of Connecticut Catholics rallied in defense of religious liberty; new challenge looms

March 12, 2009

An estimated 3,500 Catholics rallied in defense of religious liberty on March 11, one day after two Connecticut lawmakers announced the withdrawal of controversial legislation that would have placed parish finances and outreach under the control of elected lay board. One of the lawmakers-- Sen. Andrew McDonald, a Catholic-- offered an apology. “It was never my intent to offend anyone of faith, nor to cast negative attention on the many trustworthy and responsible parish corporations. My only goal was to try my best to represent the concerns of my constituents, some of whom were the victims of fraud,’ he said.

Catholic activists remained concerned that the legislation could be revived at some future date. And they expressed concern that the move to table the bill could distract attention from another critical piece of legislation: a bill (SB 899) that could classify any criticism of homosexuality as a "hate crime," establish affirmative-action quotas for hiring of homosexuals, and authorize schools to provide information promoting homosexuality as an acceptable choice.

 

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Further information:

• Catholics celebrate at Capitol protest (Connecticut Post)
• McDonald apologizes over ill-fated bill (Stamford Advocate)
• Rally for Church Liberty Planned on North Steps of Ct Capitol (Vatican Radio)
• Stop CT's Same-Sex "Marriage" Bill! (Family Institute of Connecticut)
• Connecticut lawmakers withdraw legislation governing Church parish affairs (CWN)