How will the Catholic Church respond if the Equality Act is passed?

[BrettK]

If for example the act was passed, protecting sexual orientation in it’s current form. How would the Catholic Church respond to the government basically forcing churches to perform services for Gay Weddings as they do with normal weddings? Would the Catholic Church stop performing wedding ceremonies, or what would be the response in a situation such as that? This also extends to services such as Catholic Hospitals and other organizations that would be forced to act in manners inconsistent with the faith. Just wanting ideas on what might happen in response, or what is the response.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

How would the Catholic Church respond to the government basically forcing churches to perform services for Gay Weddings as they do with normal weddings? Would the Catholic Church stop performing wedding ceremonies, or what would be the response in a situation such as that?

None of this is part of the Act proposed and would violate the Constitution if it were.

 

[Jbrady]

Just wanting ideas on what might happen in response, or what is the response.

In response to the rather bizarre fantasy you’ve concocted? Everyone will just ignore it and deal with reality.

 

[commenter]

BrettK:

How would the Catholic Church respond to the government basically forcing churches to perform services for Gay Weddings as they do with normal weddings? Would the Catholic Church stop performing wedding ceremonies, or what would be the response in a situation such as that?

None of this is part of the Act proposed and would violate the Constitution if it were.

Just a few years ago I would have said a Supreme Court Decision mandating all states accept same sex marriages was totally impossible, the stuff of extreme Paranoia.

There’s hardly any limit how far an act could be stretched, if backed up by executive and judiciary.

For them, the Constitution is a speed bump.

 

[Glennon_P]

Then Catholic clergy will not being performing the civil aspect of the wedding. Catholic couples wanting a church wedding will do what they’ve always done in terms of preparation for the sacrament, but will need to have a civil wedding first, officiated by government entity and then have their sacramental church wedding.

Which is the way it’s done in many European countries if memory serves me correctly. Perhaps some of our friends from the other side of the pond could verify that?

 

[signit]

If for example the act was passed, protecting sexual orientation in it’s current form. How would the Catholic Church respond to the government basically forcing churches to perform services for Gay Weddings as they do with normal weddings? Would the Catholic Church stop performing wedding ceremonies, or what would be the response in a situation such as that? This also extends to services such as Catholic Hospitals and other organizations that would be forced to act in manners inconsistent with the faith. Just wanting ideas on what might happen in response, or what is the response.

On what legal basis could they be forced to do this?

For example, the Catholic Church doesn’t purport to be a public accommodation. They don’t purport to perform non-Catholic marriages today as it is.

They don’t advertise, say, a rent-a-wedding service to the general public.