But I don’t expect them to do what they need to do. I fully expect them to declare the actual state of being LGBTIQQ (homosexual in RCC lingo) to be an unrepentable and unforgiveable sin.

. . . .he hissed.

This, coupled with such things as the Manhattan Declaration and the Catholic decision to quit aspects of its charitable activity in Washington, D.C. in response to gay marriage, grants permission to attack us. Physically.

When “spiritual leaders” vow openly to ignore law (and deliberately misstate the law in their vowing), the effect is tacit permission to their followers also to ignore law.

This God-vs.-law tripe is new, cancerous and very worrisome ways.

But for some reason, they appear to have lost a lot of their inhibitions about it in recent years. The optimist in me hopes it’s a sign of desperation; as a pessimist, however, I’m more inclined to think it’s a sign the hard-line traditionalists are becoming bolder.

That does not make this a part of the official catholic teaching – that is right, but – as far as I can see – it is part of the official Vatican policy.

By the way – almost immediately after the publication of this document a Dutch gay christian-democrat MP married his male partner quiet deliberately as a political sign of protest against this Vatican document. Of course – nothing happened…he was not excommunicated.

I am beginning to believe that there are two types of Catholic elected officials, the Kennedy Catholics who value separation of church and state, and the Santorum Catholics who dream of a time when the Pope dictated law and kings kneeled in the snow begging their favor.

Timothy, as a former Catholic who was raised in a very Irish household, I totally agree. We were taught to venerate Kennedy, not because he was a perfect person, but because he represented the pinnacle of success for Roman Catholics, especially Irish ones.

Anti-Catholic sentiment in this country has been strong enough that, shockingly, Joe Biden is the first Roman Catholic since Kennedy elected nationwide. It pains me to say it, but pronouncements like these, and those of the Rhode Island bishop regarding Representative Patrick Kennedy, are likely to reinflame that anti-Catholic bigotry, but this time from the left. Although most such pronouncements have been regarding abortion and birth control, if they were broadened to all Catholic theology, they could prevent RC Justices of the Peace from officiating at weddings of the previously divorced, for example.

I believe in the separation of church and state, and if these pronouncements continue, I feel we will have to get a commitment to that from all Roman Catholics running for office or important appointments. The question will have to be asked, “if caught between an issue of theology and civil rights for non-Catholics, will you risk excommunication to support the Constitution, or will you resign your office.” Legislating from a specifically RC theological point of view is simply unAmerican.

The church has often said that the act of gay sex is the sin (of course, there is no justification for that view…), so why would a legal construct that has nothing to do with the number of gay sex acts be considered immoral?

Sadly, this now applies to the highest arbiter of American Justice:

The United States Supreme Court