Bill Donohue comments on reaction to the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act that was endorsed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on September 20:
The USCCB, led by San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, has thrown its support behind the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act that was introduced on September 19 by Rep. Raúl Labrador. One might think that an anti-discrimination bill would be supported by everyone, but this is not the case. Supporting religious discrimination is the American Civil Liberties Union, the Interfaith Alliance and the Human Rights Campaign. Now Dorothy J. Samuels has joined them by writing a column for the New York Times editorial blog.
Most states have laws that enshrine marriage, properly understood, into law. Those states that support homosexual marriage are free to do so, and there is nothing in the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act that stops them. All the bill does is secure the religious liberty rights of Americans from being violated by the federal government.
Samuels says the bill is “pernicious.” Archbishop Cordileone knows this is nonsense: “It would prevent the federal government from discriminating against religious believers who hold to the principle that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.” Archbishop Lori is also pointed: “Among the many protections in this bill, the federal government would not be able to deny individuals and organizations a grant, contract, or employment because their belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman is informed by their religious faith.”
The intolerance being exhibited by the enemies of religious liberty is dangerous. Just recently, Craig James was fired from Fox Sports Southwest after it was discovered that he supports marriage, properly understood. This bill would not give him relief because it only applies to the federal government, but it just goes to show that intolerance is on the rise in left-wing quarters.
