6 Seattle congregations revolt against Archbishop call to sign referendum to kill WA marriage equality law

Seattle Archbishop
Peter Sartain

Igor Volsky reports in ThinkProgress that at least six Catholic parishes in Washington state have ignored the Seattle Archbishop’s call to gather signatures for a referendum repealing the state’s recently-enacted marriage equality law. They are: Our Lady of the Lake, St. James Cathedral, St. Joseph Church, St. Mary’s Church, St. Patrick Church and Christ Our Hope Catholic Church.
     In several parishes, pastors have said that gathering signatures against marriage equality would, in the words of the Rev. Michael Ryan of St. James Cathedral, “prove hurtful and seriously divisive in our community.”
     Rev. Tim Clark, of Our Lady of the Lake, received a standing ovation Sunday” when he announced that the parish would not be participating in the anti-equality effort:

Opinion polls have consistently shown that Catholics reject the Church’s opposition to marriage equality, with nearly three-quarters of Catholics favoring “either allowing gay and lesbian people to marry (43%) or allowing them to form civil unions (31%). Only 22% of Catholics say there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship.”