Marriage In Maryland: Senators Resist Lobbying Campaign By Church Hierarchy

[Adsos Letter]

Source: The Wall of Separation
February 25th, 2011
By Sandhya Bathija.


Last night, when the Maryland Senate passed a marriage equality bill by 25-21, a win was scored for equal protection — and for church-state separation.

The measure, if approved by the House and signed by Gov. Martin O’Malley, will allow same-sex couples to marry in the state. It’s legislation that isn’t sitting well with the Catholic hierarchy, especially considering the large number of Catholics who hold public office in the state.

The Catholic bishops have always enjoyed a great deal of political clout in the Free State. But it’s clear that some of that power has slipped away. On Monday, the Maryland Catholic Conference organized a few hundred Catholic priests and laity to pressure lawmakers to heed church doctrine and not vote for this measure. That gambit obviously failed.

The marriage bill was backed by a large number of Catholics, sending a loud and clear message that public officials work to serve the public interest, not a sectarian agenda.

LINK: http://blog.au.org/2011/02/25/marriage-in-maryland-senators-resist-lobbying-campaign-by-church-hierarchy/
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Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, AU works in the courts, in Congress and the state legislatures, at the White House and in the arena of public opinion.

(AU members/activists] come from all 50 states and a wide variety of religious, political and philosophical backgrounds. (They] are dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.