In March, Rep. Michael Lawlor and Sen. Andrew McDonald introduced legislation in Connecticut to take over the governing structure of the Catholic Church. The bill was withdrawn quickly in response to outrage expressed by Catholics, who rallied at the state Capitol. In retaliation, some state officials sought to penalize the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, led by Bishop William E. Lori. Moreover, the Office of State Ethics accused the diocese of breaking the state’s lobbying laws. Bishop Lori then filed suit seeking an injunction to stop the punitive measures from being implemented. Now Richard Blumenthal, state Attorney General, has asked ethics officials to end the investigation.
Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented on this latest development:
First tyrannical legislators sought to take control of the Church, and then their lackeys tried to muzzle the free speech of Catholics with bogus ethics inquiries. These attacks show that what is at stake is the protection of the very liberties at the heart of the First Amendment. The naked use of power to intimidate the Catholic Church into silence should be a wake-up call to Catholics everywhere. Indeed, non-Catholics should condemn such bullying tactics as well.
We join Attorney General Blumenthal’s call to end this ugly chapter once and for all. Thus, we ask Carol Carson, executive director of the Office of State Ethics, to call off the investigation.
Contact Carol Carson: Carol.carson@ct.gov
