Catholics and Proposition 8

by Michael Jones · 2008-11-13 08:27:00 UTC
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CatholicsIn terms of religious groups, Mormons are clearly absorbing the bulk of the outrage over the passage of Proposition 8 in California.  Demonstrations have routinely popped up in front of Mormon churches, including a massive one in New York City last night.  And to be true, the institutional Mormon church and its members helped bankroll efforts to pass Proposition 8 like no other.

Conservative Catholic groups, however, played a significant hand in calling for the passage of Proposition 8, and an article out in America magazine argues today that while Catholic bishops may have been ineffective in arguing for a certain GOP presidential candidate, they were really effective in persuading churchgoers in California to support Proposition 8.

The article, which quotes Mark DiCamillo (the director of the Field Poll), demonstrates that Catholics voted for Proposition 8 in overwhelming numbers - perhaps in large part because no bishop or progressive Catholic Organization (Catholics United, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, etc.) took a stand on the issue.  To quote DiCamillo:

...network exit poll shows that [Catholics] accounted for 30% of the California electorate and had 64% of them voting Yes [on Proposition 8]...

My take is that polling on issues like same-sex marriage that have a direct bearing on religious doctrine can be affected in a big way in the final weekend by last minute appeals by the clergy and religious organizations.

And Catholic bishops and leaders made sure to drill home the "Yes on 8" message the Sunday before Election Day.  Their efforts appear to have helped in drumming up the Catholic vote for revising marriage laws.

This isn't to argue that LGBT rights groups should be out protesting at Catholic churches.  But it is to say two things.  One, Catholic voters sent the message that they overwhelmingly supported Proposition 8.  And second, shame on the progressive Catholic organizations for keeping silent on this one.  We could have used your moral authority to articulate an alternative to the anti-equality message eminating from the institutional Church.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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