Omaha Archdiocese promotes Cardinal Dolan state­ment on 'profound injustice' of DOMA ruling five days before NYT busted Dolan for years of lies about his role in Catholic sex abuse scandal aftermath

In a black-is-white torture of logic reminiscent of Catholic abuse of "heretics" during the inquisition, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, speaking for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and joined by convicted drunk driver Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee for the "Promotion and Defense of Marriage," said:

“Today is a tragic day for marriage and our nation. The Supreme Court has dealt a profound injustice to the American people by striking down in part the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The Court got it wrong. The federal government ought to respect the truth that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, even where states fail to do so. The preservation of liberty and justice requires that all laws, federal and state, respect the truth, including the truth about marriage. It is also unfortunate that the Court did not take the opportunity to uphold California’s Proposition 8 but instead decided not to rule on the matter. The common good of all, especially our children, depends upon a society that strives to uphold the truth of marriage. Now is the time to

redouble our efforts in witness to this truth...

The truth is that victorious anti-DOMA plaintiff Edie Windsor got screwed out of almost $400,000 in estate tax exemptions because the federal government unconstitutionally (equal protection) refused to recognize her legal marriage to Thea Spyer. No children were involved even though the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops tried to focus irrelevant, ginned-up outrage on kids in its attack on the ruling.

Most Reverend George J. Lucas, Archbishop of Omaha:
DOMA tax ripoff of childless gay couples =
"Preservation of liberty and justice"

     The truth is that the tax-exempt Roman Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Omaha finds it "tragic" that gay couples who are legally married will finally get the same tax exemptions legally-married straights get. A continued tax ripoff of gay couples is what the Archdiocese of Omaha concurs would be "the preservation of liberty and justice."
     The coauthor of the above statement, including the highly selective concern about "common good," "especially our children" was the President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was busted today by the New York Times for years of lying about his role in putting $57,000,000 of church assets beyond the reach of the 575 people who are suing the Archdiocese of Milwaukee (which he used to head) after enduring some of the most vicious sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy anywhere in America.

Below: the Archdiocese of Omaha celebrates the "preservation of liberty and justice," its "religious liberty," and its god-given freedom to blatantly violate electioneering laws. Video shot Nov. 6, 2012 by Omaha photographer "Shoot To Fill" at St. Francis of Assisi, 4513 S. 32nd St.

No person shall do any electioneering, circulate petitions, or perform any action that involves solicitation within any polling place or any building designated for voters to cast ballots by the election commissioner or county clerk pursuant to the Election Act while the polling place or building is set up for voters to cast ballots or within two hundred feet of any such polling place or building. Any person violating this section shall be guilty of a Class V misdemeanor.
— (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-1524(2))

Video: Omaha Archdiocese thumbed its nose at laws prohibiting poll politicking

Other fascinating activities of Omaha's busy archdiocese

Filmed at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 4513 S 32nd St., by Omaha videographer shoot-to-fill during the general election last November 6th: electioneering at the polling place. In fact, if you look close, you may even spot what we think is bilingual electioneering!
     Wonder what the calculus of this decision sounded like, provided there was any clerical soul-searching over it in the first place (which may assume way too much.)

     Hmm. Shall we beat our breasts about how "religious liberty" is infringed when Catholic polling places are made to follow the rules covering lesser secular institutions or shall we pragmatically undermine the law and illicitly influence voters by simply ignoring it?

     Practicality vs. Godly Principal, and the former seems to have prevailed. Imagine that.
     Here's the law, in case you're interested. Obviously, the unindicted criminals at Omaha's Roman Catholic Archdiocese aren't.

Above: from the website touted
by Omaha Archdiocese at polls

No person shall do any electioneering, circulate petitions, or perform any action that involves solicitation within any polling place or any building designated for voters to cast ballots by the election commissioner or county clerk pursuant to the Election Act while the polling place or building is set up for voters to cast ballots or within two hundred feet of any such polling place or building. Any person violating this section shall be guilty of a Class V misdemeanor. (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-1524(2))

Omaha Archdiocese terrified it may have to pay the same sales tax that all struggling Nebraska families do

Related: Church-led petition to overturn Omaha's LGBT antibias law fails — for now.

When Omaha was debating its new LGBT antibias law, the Catholic Archdiocese spun its opposition as a matter of religious liberty. But after getting those exemptions that it pressured politicians to concede, the church then did an about-face, allowing petitions to revoke the entire law to be foisted on its parishioners from church property. (Those petitions have yet to be presented.)
     Now that Gov. Heineman wants to remove the sales exemptions that it enjoys, the church is using an opposition ploy different from the "religious liberty" ruse. Here's what Deacon Tim McNeil told KETV:

“Anything that might adversely affect a religious organization's ability to meet the needs of people in need, people who are hurting, is disconcerting.”

Above: The fantastically expensive pipe organ of St. Cecilia's, the seat of the Archdiocese of Omaha, one of the few such instruments on the planet which has both meantone and well-tempered pipes.
     Stanford University and a church in Dresden also have such an organ, but, sadly, with a narrower range.
     Without preferential tax treatment, The Church might have to make do with a cheap electronic organ or rude polyester vestments or candles not made of real wax or even those horrible goddamn electric candle lights that flip on when you drop your coin in the box.

Omaha Catholic Archdiocese still collecting petitions to kill LGBT bill, warning politicians not to cramp its style

St. Cecilia, home of the Omaha Archdiocese, was festooned with at least a dozen signs designed to
intimidate liberal politicians like Bob Kerrey (whose signage was in a supporter's yard
across 40th St.) who disagree with it on matters like civil marriage equality. Kerrey lost.

Double-talk from Omaha's archbishop about anti-gay LGBT petition drive

Well-known Omahan Marlon Brando, who
didn't fool around, except when he did. If
you know what we mean...

Executive summary: Hey padres, this is your boss speaking! In case this memo gets out, I want to make sure it doesn't incriminate me in respect of coercing you to cooperate with the antigay initiative, but if you wanna help, you could do so by scheduling information nights (wink, wink), handouts (nod, nod) and letting petitioners have access to your parish events, not that I would publicly compel such a course of action, mind you. Capiche?

Dear Father,

You will soon learn from the local media about an effort that is underway to repeal the City of Omaha's sexual orientation anti-discrimination ordinance. The sponsor of this initiative - the Heritage Coalition - must collect 12,000 signatures from October to November to place the ordinance on the spring (2013) mayoral ballot.  The sponsor believes that if given the opportunity, Omahans will vote to repeal this ordinance.

Representatives of the Heritage Coalition may try to solicit your support. As pastor of your parish, you are free to exercise your discretion in determining if and how you want to involve yourself or your parishioners in this effort which addresses an important moral issue. Examples of your involvement may include speaking about the issue in your parish, giving petitioners access to your parish events, scheduling information nights at your parish to discuss the issue, providing informational handouts to your parishioners, etc. If you and your parishioners choose to participate in this petition drive, I ask that there be no undue disruption of parish liturgies, nor distraction from the important moral issues at stake in national and state elections this fall.

You can contact Deacon Tim McNeil if you have questions about this ballot initiative. In the meantime, thank you for the care you provide the souls entrusted to you.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Archbishop George Lucas

(Sources)

Omaha Archdiocese censors same-sex wedding photo in Marian High School alumni newsletter