Orange Diocese-Why hasn't our bishop and priests publicly opposed this Bill?

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August 31, 2005

Please forward to friends and family

SPECIAL ALERT
**Same-sex marriage bill (AB 849)
**UPDATE & ACTION
Yes, we know you are getting tired of hearing about this bill—so are we. However, this is probably the single most important bill and issue this year and there is still time to act. If you haven’t contacted the following legislators, please do so.

Supporters of same-sex marriage believe they have the momentum to get the first homosexual marriage bill passed by any state Legislature.

But there is still time for YOU to help protect marriage.

What the bill’s supporters are saying

The Oakland Tribune reported today that Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), author of the bill and Geoffrey Kors, executive director of Equality California, sponsors of the bill, expressed confidence that they are making progress in getting the bill passed in both the Senate and Assembly. Below is an excerpt from the Oakland Tribune’s article.

“We think we’re making progress in the Assembly and have a
realistic chance,” Kors said, noting some members now feel
emboldened after seeing no negative consequences for those
who supported the bill in June.

“Some moderate Assembly Democrats who did not support the
bill in June — particularly Latinos sharing with many constituents
a faith-based aversion to same- sex marriage — have seen Equality California do extensive public education and outreach in their districts this summer. “We know this makes it very difficult for these members to vote against us — this is the kind of pressure, the kind of support that will
get us across the finish line,” Leno said.”
tHERE IS STILL TIME TO ACT
Status of the bill
the bill is still in the Senate and could be voted on at any time this week or early next week. If it passes the Senate, it will go back to the Assembly for a vote. ALL bills MUST be out of the Legislature by the September 9 deadline.

continued on next post
 
The time to act is now. Contact the following Senators and Assembly members. Phone calls are recommended. However, if you prefer to send an e-mail, click on the members e-mail address – be sure to put the bill number and VOTE NO in the subject line.
Bay Area

Tom Torlakson (916) 445-6083
senator.torlakson@sen.ca.gov

(D-07) Antioch, Brentwood, Clayton, Concord, El Cerrito, Hercules, Lafayette, Martinez, Oakley, Orinda, Pinole, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Richmond, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek

Elaine Alquist (916) 445-9740
senator.alquist@sen.ca.gov

(D-13) San Jose, Gilroy, Mountain View, San Jose, Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale

**Michael Machado **(916) 445-2407
senator.machado@sen.ca.gov
(D-5) Linden, Elk Grove, Dixon, Manteca, Fairfield, Stockton, Davis, Tracy, Vacaville, Winters, Woodland, Lathrop, Suisun, and Solano

LOS ANGELES AREA

Edward Vincent (916) 445-2104
senator.vincent@sen.ca.gov

(D-25) Inglewood, Gardena, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Lynwood, Los Angeles, Compton, Long Beach, San Pedro and the PalosVerdesPeninsula
Jack Scott (916)445-5976
senator.scott@sen.ca.gov

(D-21) Pasadena

ORANGECOUNTY

Joseph Dunn (916) 445-5831
senator.dunn@sen.ca.gov

(D-34) Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Buena Park
 
Assembly members

Call whether you live in the district or not
**NOTE: **If you call before the bill clears the Senate, let the Assembly member’s office know you are aware that the bill is not in the Assembly yet – however – IF it gets there, you want the Assembly member to vote NO or abstain!
BAY AREA
Alberto Torrico (916) 319-2020
assemblymember.torrico@assembly.ca.gov
(D-20) Fremont, Union City, Newark, Milpitas, Pleasanton

SALINASVALLEY
Simon Salinas (916) 319-2028
assemblymember.salinas@assembly.ca.gov

(D-28) Salinas, Gilroy, Hollister, Watsonville

CENTRALVALLEY

Juan Arambula (916) 319-2031
assemblymember.arambula@assembly.ca.gov

(D-31) Fresno County cities of Cantua Creek, Caruthers, Firebaugh, Fowler, Kerman, Mendota, Parlier, Reedley, Sanger, San Joaquin, Selma, and portions of Fresno, and the Tulare County cities of Cutler, Dinuba, and Orosi

LOS ANGELES

Jerome Horton (916) 319-2051
assemblymember.horton@assembly.ca.gov

(D-51) Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Playa Vista, Lawndale, West Compton

Mervin Dymally (916) 319-2052
assemblymember.dymally@assembly.ca.gov

(D-52) Watts, SouthPark, Compton, East Compton, Paramount
 
SAN BERNARDINOCOUNTY

Joe Baca (916) 319-2062
assemblymember.baca@assembly.ca.gov

(D-62) San BernardinoCounty includes San Bernardino, Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Bloomington, and Muscoy.
Gloria Negrete-McLeod (916) 319-2061
assemblymember.mcleod@assembly.ca.gov
(D-61) Chino, Montclair, Pomona, Ontario
ORANGECOUNTY**

Tom Umberg (916) 319-2069
assemblymember.umberg@asdembly.ca.gov

(D-69) Santa Ana, parts of Garden Grove and Anaheim
For more information, contact Karen Holgate, Director of Legislative Affairs, California Family Alliance, at KarenH@CaliforniaFamily.org.
 
California Catholics write to your bishops and plead with them to speak out against this.

We need to hear from our bishops and priests.

**
Pro-Family Groups ‘Horrified’
Click to expand...
** at Gay Marriage Bill Approval in Calif.Friday,

Sep. 2, 2005 Posted: 8:54:32AM EST

Pro-family groups blasted the California Senate’s passage of a bill Thursday that would legalize same-sex marriage and make it the first legislative body in the country to approve a gay marriage legislation.

"How can God bless California when our lawmakers do this?" asked Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families.

After the state Assembly rejected the bill by a narrow vote in June, the measure made a comeback and passed the Senate by a 21-15 vote.

The proposed act would redefine marriage in California as a union between two persons, making marriage gender-neutral and thereby permitting same-sex marriages in the state.

“A leading California pro-family organization is reacting with horror to today’s passage of homosexual marriage licenses in the State Senate,” stated a CCF news release. “The Democrat-controlled Senate has completely overturned the people’s vote on marriage.”

An overwhelming vote by the people of California opposed gay marriage in 2000 with the passage of Prop 22, which only recognizes marriage between a man and a woman in the state.

While Prop 22 won in 52 of California’s 58 counties, the state senate dropped a bomb on pro-family advocates.

“They’re violating the state constitution, which specifically prohibits the Legislature from repealing voter-approved initiatives!” stated Thomasson.

The measure is now headed for the state Assembly from where it will reach Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk if passed.

Democratic Sen. Debra Bowen said several churches backed the gender-neutral bill, according to the Associate Press.

Nevertheless, opponents are now making efforts to qualify initiatives for the 2006 ballot to ban gay marriages in the state Constitution.

“If the Legislature flushes the people’s vote on marriage down the drain, the people will rise up, override the politicians and the judges, and protect marriage rights for one man and one woman in the state constitution,” said activist Ed Hernandez, a proponent of VoteYesMarriage.com, during a news conference outside the State Capitol.

continue reading

christianpost.com/article/society/1798/section/pro-family.groups.039horrified039.at.gay.marriage.bill.approval.in.calif/1.htm
 
**Most of the parishes in our diocese have still not heard or read one word about this bill. **

Please pray that our California bishops will have the courage to publicly defend the church teachings.

From the California Catholic Conference

**The Issue **AB 849 (Leno, D- San Francisco) Gender-neutral marriage would enact the “Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act,” redefining marriage as a personal relation arising out of a civil contract between two persons.

**History **Since the 1960s, small but well-organized groups of homosexual activists have worked to change the definition of marriage and family in Western culture. They have been successful in gaining wide acceptance of domestic partnerships, relying on the “value judgment” that the individuals in “committed” relationships have an “equal right” to the benefits presently given to married couples: tax breaks, insurance benefits, inheritance rights, ability to adopt, and next-of-kin responsibilities. Their success can be measured by the fact that as of April 2005, California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey and Vermont grant persons in same-sex unions a similar legal status to those in a civil marriage by domestic partnership, civil union or reciprocal beneficiary laws. And Massachusetts, by judicial fiat, has legalized same-sex marriage. In addition, same-sex marriages are legal nationwide in four countries: the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and Canada—over the objections of the Catholic Church in each instance. Assemblyman Leno is attempting to legalize same-sex marriage in California with his bill AB 849, Gender-neutral marriage, claiming in his legislative “findings” that prior to 1977 California marriage law was “gender-neutral”—a somewhat bizarre claim that turns on the fact that before that year marriage was understood to be between a man and a woman so it wasn’t necessary to explicitly enumerate it in statute.

Church Teaching “Marriage is not just any relationship between human beings. It was established by the Creator with its own nature, essential properties and purpose,” as we were recently reminded in the Vatican’s statement, Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions between Homosexual Persons. In Catholic teaching, marriage is a sacrament that is a covenant in which God’s grace is manifest in the love, reciprocity, fidelity and mutuality of the relationship. What is best for children is to be nurtured by married parents in a loving home.

**Status **AB 849 passed the Senate on September 1 and the Assembly on September 6.

**Action **Please contact the Governor’s office and ask for his VETO of AB 849. Remind him that in 2000 Proposition 22 (Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California) passed with 61 percent of the vote. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916 445-2841
Fax: 916 445-4633
Email the Governor **Talking Points **
read more

cacatholic.org/h/al/al50826-ab849.html
 
Just as a point of interest, the Governor has said he will veto the bill because it is contrary to the will of the people as expressed in Prop. 22 in 2000 which defined marriage as being between a man and a woman only.

Margita Thomson, his press secretary said, “The governor believes the matter should be determined not by legislative action — which would be unconstitutional — but by court decision or another vote of the people of our state,” the statement said. “We cannot have a system where the people vote and the Legislature derails that vote.”

Deacon Ed
 
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JNB:
I will give an awnser, though it will not be considered the most charitable nor politically correct. The truth is that the Catholic church in Southren California is in effect, a mainline protestant church with poor liturgy. I am not saying their sacraments are invalid, but in terms of peopels worship life, the theology they are taught and so on, the church isint that far away from mainline Protestantism.
Click to expand...
Dear JNB,

Don’t malign the protestants!! 🙂 - many of their groups have been fighting this particular battle openly, publicly, “clear(ly) and emphatical(ly)” since AB 19. I’m with them on this one!!

Our bishops and priests (in the Diocese of Orange) and throughout California should be ashamed of themselves. I certainly am.

Angel
 
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