Madison - Roman Catholics in the Madison Diocese opposing the proposed civil union and gay marriage amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution have fired back to recent statements by Bishop Robert Morlino supporting the ballot measure. A letter entitled an “Open Letter To Bishop Morlino From Catholic Families Who Support Basic Rights For Civil Unions” has been distributed by email  to other Catholics and a half-page ad is running in today’s Wisconsin State Journal. Opponents chastise the bishop for mixing politics and religion, recalling historic church purges.
  “We Catholic families of the Madison Diocese want to publicly express our disagreement with your position statement published in the Catholic Herald, in which you equated the right of a loving gay couple to enjoy the legal benefits of a civil union similar to marriage with a ‘satanic plan to destroy family life.. and our country from within,’” the letter stated.  “To be blunt, we believe your position is dangerous and wrong.  Wrong on proper Christian teaching and wrong on a logic that states “purifying the culture in the United States” requires denying basic civil rights to those who honor Christ’s teaching to create love, stability and peace in our communities.  We believe your pronouncements have lent assistance to regressive politicians whose political agenda includes gay-bashing and the politics of hate and division.  For that reason, we needed to speak out.”
  Opponents believe the bishop’s position hurts the church. “We believe you have done a great disservice to the Church and the mission of Christ by issuing such an incendiary call to arms,” the letter continued.  “Equating a vote to pass a constitutional amendment, which for the first time in history would deny rights to minorities in our constitution, rather than protect them, with a ‘holy battle’ is reminiscent of the crusader mentality that brought shame to our  Church so long ago.  There is no scriptural or logical basis for asserting that granting loving gay couples the basic civil protections and legal benefits of a committed union will result in any straight couple’s marriage, or the broader institution of marriage to “go down the tubes.”  Think about it-- if two loving, committed gay people form a long-lasting union and we in our democracy extend commensurate civil rights-- how are our heterosexual marriages, much less the entire institution of marriage, threatened? We believe the single most destructive force in family life is the breakup of marriage, which leaves kids fatherless and single mothers struggling.”
  Opponents accused the bishop of not seeing the humanity of gay and lesbian couples. “Because you and others are not looking at our gay brothers and sisters as fellow creations of God, who have all the same dreams and needs of the rest of us, it remains easier to talk about them in generalities, reflexive prejudices and out-of-context Biblical citations.”
  Opponents also characterized the Bishop’s comments as being un-Christ like. “Jesus told us the most important of his teachings was to ‘love one another’ with tolerance and understanding being fundamental to the Christian way of life,” the letter continued. “Therefore, we believe our Christian faith requires us to stand up for the rights of those who choose commitment over convenience, love over prejudice, and family stability over selfishness.   While the Church may nonetheless see fit to resist the idea of “gay marriage,” it cannot justify supporting that part of the proposed constitutional amendment that also imposes a restrictive and punitive ban that forever precludes extending basic civil rights to the committed union of both straight and gay couples.” 
  The letter concluded by claiming amendment supporters were un-Christian. “Such a ban runs contrary to Church teaching that requires us as Christians to engage in a constant process of discernment and understanding of the problems and needs of our fellow citizens.  A ban closes the door forever and in our judgment removes from future generations, that hopefully are smarter and more compassionate than us, the opportunity to evolve on this issue,” the letter said.
  Press calls to the Morlino’s office requesting comment on the open letter and advertisement were not returned.