HeadlineBistro

Around the Web...

Today’s News Wrap is a grab bag of sorts of various, Catholic reactions on the Internet to the past day’s big stories – torture memos, the Pew religion survey and Mary Ann Glendon, for starters.

To start: Contributors to First Things and The Public Discourse offered different but supporting arguments against torture, from theological and philosophical points of view, respectively. Their timing, of course, is extremely relevant, in light of the recently released CIA memos on harsh interrogation methods approved by the Bush administration.

Headline Bistro has offered a summary of the Church’s teaching on torture here – and Saltzman and Tollefsen’s pieces are also well worth the read in order to gain a broader perspective on the moral issues that must be considered when debating the subject.

As highlighted yesterday, CNS has a good summary of the Pew Forum’s “Faith in Flux” study released yesterday, detailing the reasons why people have left their childhood faith. Surprisingly, the Catholic blogosphere has been relatively quiet in terms of reactions and evaluations of the survey, especially considering the depth with which it treats reasons why Catholics leave the Church.

On Our Sunday Visitor’s news blog, Catholic author Mary DeTurris Poust reflected on the study’s revelation that involvement in Catholic education – parochial schools, religious education, youth groups or all of the above – seems to have negligible impact on whether a young Catholic will remain in the Church as an adult.

“If our Catholic schools are not clearly teaching the meaning of the Eucharist, we have failed,” Poust wrote. “If our teachers or parish leaders are telling Catholic children and adults that there is room to disagree on issues like abortion, we have failed. … The reality is that many of the Catholics who leave the Church never really understood their beliefs in the first place.”

That catechesis, Poust argued, begins at Mass and at home.

Finally, the blogosphere is definitely abuzz over Mary Ann Glendon’s decision to decline Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal and not speak at the university’s commencement ceremonies.

Fr. Z thanked Glendon for serving as a “witness to our Catholic identity in the public square.” Canon lawyer Ed Peters lauded her decision as an application of canon law for the laity to “imbue and perfect the order of temporal affairs with the spirit of the gospel and thus give witness to Christ, especially in carrying out these same affairs and in exercising secular functions.” The American Papist noted that at one point Monday, Glendon’s name spiked to the top ten searches on Google, and that a Facebook group in support of Glendon’s decision has exceeded 2,000 members in the past two days.

In the National Catholic Register, Fr. Raymond de Souza gave a lengthy treatment to “Glendon, Notre Dame and Abortion Politics,” and, finally, for the Catholic Thing, Robert Royal asks what will emerge from Notre Dame’s “Confusion Confounded” and the aftermath of the commencement itself.

Yesterday’s news stories came in pairs, it seems.

First, some more substantive profiles of two young women in the news of late – and both from California, incidentally:

• 20-year-old Lila Rose’s video investigations of Planned Parenthood are nothing new, but they are garnering attention. Recently, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to cut a $300,000 contract with the abortion industry giant after one of the board members was informed of Rose’s tapes. In Tennessee, lawmakers cut a Planned Parenthood contract of more than twice that amount, likewise citing one of Rose's videos filmed at a Planned Parenthood in the state. Get Religion blogger Mollie Hemingway does a good review of the Los Angeles Times’ recent article on Rose – and says it’s about time for the mainstream media to pick up this story.

• Meanwhile, over the weekend, the much-maligned – or acclaimed, depending on one’s circles – Miss California received a heroine’s welcome at her San Diego church, where she spoke on her need to “stay true to my beliefs and not let (critics) intimidate me into taking back what I said.”

AKA Carrie Prejean, 21, the student, model and Miss USA contestant had affirmed her belief in marriage as between a man and a woman at the beauty pageant – an answer she and others believe cost her the crown.

Is America losing its religion?

• The people profiled in this New York Times article would like that to be the case. “More Atheists Shout It from the Rooftops,” reporter Laurie Goodstein notes, describing movements to sponsor atheistic billboards, promote humanism as the rational alternate to religion and, overall, make their views known in the public square.

• On a related note, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life followed up a previous survey on America’s religiosity with a study on why people have left their childhood faiths.

The Catholic News Service highlights reasons why Catholics have left the Church. Interestingly, most Catholics who joined evangelical Protestant congregations did so for religious and moral beliefs, while those who went to mainline Protestant denominations cited more individual reasons – they had married someone of another faith, or were dissatisfied with a particular parish or clergy member.

Notably, the survey found that almost half the people who left the Catholic Church did so by the time they turned 18 – a sobering statistic, to be sure, and one that D.C. Archbishop Donald Wuerl said only stresses the need to help children and teenagers appreciate the importance of weekly Mass attendance.

Finally, yesterday had to have been a bad Monday for the University of Notre Dame:

• As most know by now, Mary Ann Glendon, the expected recipient of the school’s prestigious Laetare Medal, said she will decline both that honor and the chance to speak at the Notre Dame commencement ceremony. 

Writing to university president Fr. John Jenkins, Glendon said a commencement “is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious problems raised by Notre Dame’s decisions – in disregard of the settled position of the U.S. bishops – to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the Church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice.”

Glendon – a Harvard law professor and former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See – also seemed to take issue with Notre Dame using her appearance at graduation in its defense of President Obama giving the commencement address – “implying that my acceptance speech would somehow balance the event,” she wrote.

• The same day as Glendon’s letter, a group of Notre Dame alumni protesting the school’s honoring of President Obama announced that $8.2 million in donations have been withheld from the university.

The group, which seeks to replace Fr. Jenkins as university president, said it is continuing to confirm pledges of withheld donations, including large estate bequests to the university removed from donors’ wills.

“Alumni and supporters of Notre Dame have little other recourse than to protest with their pocketbooks,” said the spokesman for Replace Jenkins. “We will continue our efforts as long as it is necessary to bring about positive change at Notre Dame that will honor 'Our Lady's University.'"

Five New Saints

Quick! Who are the Church’s five newest saints, canonized yesterday by Pope Benedict XVI?

Not sure? Zenit has a great article on the canonization ceremony, including the pope’s reflections on how four Italians and one Portuguese friar serve as encouraging role models to our world today. The Vatican Information Service also reports on Sunday’s canonizations.

• St. Arcangelo Tadini, an Italian priest who died in 1912, was known for his work with those affected by the economic crisis to strike his own time – always considering in his ministry “the totality of the human person, helping his parishioners grow humanly and spiritually,” Pope Benedict said, further describing him as a “man of God willing in all situations to be led by the Holy Spirit.”

“How prophetic was the charismatic intuition of Don Tadini,” the pope continued, “and how much his example remains today, in a time of grave economic crisis.”

• St. Bernardo Tolomei was described by Pope Benedict as “an authentic martyr of charity,” having died in 1348 while caring for the plague-stricken monks of the religious order he founded.

St. Bernardo’s example is “an invitation to translate our faith into a life dedicated to God in prayer and in total surrender to service to one’s neighbor,” the pope said, “with the instinct of charity ready to take on even the supreme sacrifice.”

• St. Nuno de Santa Maria Álvares Pereira was a military hero in Portugal in the 14th century, but after the death of his wife, he entered the convent of the Order of Friars of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel – proof that in any situation “it is possible to enact and fulfill the values and principles of Christian life, especially if one places oneself at the service of the common good and the glory of God.”

From military officer to Carmelite friar, he “never allowed his personal qualities to overshadow the supreme action of God,” Pope Benedict praised.

• St. Gertrude Comensoli, who died at the turn of the 20th century, was one of two women canonized, having founded the Institute of Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.

“In a society disoriented and many times hurt, such as our own, St. Gertrude indicated as a firm point of reference the God of the Eucharist who made himself our traveling companion,” the pope said.

• Finally, St. Caterina Volpicelli (1839-1894) founded the Institute of Handmaidens of the Sacred Heart in Naples at the age of 35. An educator, she also opened an orphanage and library in the city – transmitting “to new generations the values of Christian culture.”

Her legacy, the pope said, shows us “the demanding path to a conversion that changes the heart at its roots and translates into activities coherent with the Gospel.”

The Pope, the Holy Land and the Call to 'Go Beyond'

With Pope Benedict XVI’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land fast approaching, Zenit recently conducted a fascinating interview with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Fouad Twal.

Like this John Allen article previewing the trip, it’s a must read for anyone seeking to understand the political intricacies surrounding it. From recent Catholic/Jewish tensions to a chance to dialogue with a receptive Muslim audience (well -- minus these guys), there’s certainly a lot going on – and all in the aftermath of Israel’s recent bombings on Gaza.

Archbishop Twal acknowledged those themes, saying it is “unthinkable” that one could imagine the pilgrimage to not have political dimensions or implications.

“Every day, every gesture, every meeting and every visit, everything will have a political connotation,” he said. “Here we breathe politics, our oxygen is politics. What aggravates politics is that everyone does politics. … Each one adds his or her own grain of salt and that doesn’t fix anything.”

Most tellingly, though, is this quote of Archbishop Twal’s wish for Pope Benedict’s trip:

“During these difficult times, I want the Holy Father to come to help us ‘superare:’ to go beyond, to see further,” he said. “The Pope is coming to visit all the Churches, all the people who live in the Holy Land in order to encourage us to remain faithful to our mission, to our faith, and to our awareness of belonging to this land.”

That call to “go beyond,” though, might not resonate with some believers, including those described in this AFP story – “Papal visit bittersweet for Gaza Catholics.”

Many people quoted in the story expressed their disappointment that the pope will not be visiting ravaged Gaza – and their judgment that now “is not the right moment to come and visit the holy places, while Jerusalem is occupied,” as the pastor of Gaza’s sole Catholic Church said.

Others fear the pope’s visit will be used by Israel to justify its military and political policies toward Palestinians.

On the other side, a papal audience with a controversial Arab mayor caused a diplomatic stir in Israel and the Vatican, with the Israeli tourism minister – who belongs to the country’s right-wing party – calling the now-cancelled audience a “complete contradiction” to what the pope’s upcoming pilgrimage hopes to achieve.

One Gazan student’s concluding quote is particularly sad in its reflection of the despair felt by many – Christians and non-Christians – in the Holy Land: “If his sermons end up changing things for us, we will be very happy,” he said. “But if not, then this visit will have been in vain.”

As painful as the Holy Land’s political realities are, though, there’s something even more tragic in this young man’s statement – reminiscent, perhaps, of another man’s entrance in Jerusalem that was also marked by political expectations and misunderstandings of His mission. (In that sense, this opinion piece from a Palestinian news site is quite revealing in its comparison of the Pope’s journey and Jesus’ life.) 

Pope Benedict knows the grim realities of the Holy Land, but he also knows that, from the beginning, Christianity has never fit neatly into political systems. 
 
“To see further” than the ideologies and politics of our day – the Holy Father points all of us, not only those in the Holy Land, toward a higher vision. It’s what he was doing in Africa, as well, even when it earned him harsh criticism from the media and leaders around the world.

Far from overlooking reality, though, Pope Benedict offers an incisive view of what lies at the core of humanity’s solution: respect for the dignity of the human person, regardless of race or religion. A fostering of the civilization of life and love. Conversion of hearts and true peace – all stemming, ultimately, from freedom in Christ.

When the pope speaks that message, let’s hope the world listens.

The Vatican speaks at the UN racism conference

All news coming from the U.N. conference on racism – set to end tomorrow – seems dominated by Iran’s outbursts against Israel and the walkouts that have ensued.

What’s gone largely unnoticed by almost all media – and would likely be of most interest to those who wonder what the Vatican is doing at the conference in the first place – is yesterday’s statement given to conference participants by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi.

Acknowledging the various forms of racism in the world today, Archbishop Tomasi cut to the heart of the matter: “In all its manifestations, racism makes the false claim that some human beings have less dignity and value than others,” he said. “It thus infringes upon their fundamental equality as God's children and it leads to the violation of the human rights of individuals and of entire groups of persons.”

Reuters did pick up on the Vatican’s example of genetic technology used to choose embryo’s characteristics as a dangerous path to outright eugenics.

These new offerings, Archbishop Tomasi said, “could lead to the creation of a ‘subcategory of human beings’ or the elimination of human beings that do not fulfill the characteristics predetermined by a given society.”

Likewise, the Vatican official said that “the legitimate fight against terrorism should never undermine the protection and promotion of human rights” – a statement that, while made in the context of condemning xenophobia, would certainly apply to the relevant issue of torture, as well.

In the end, though, Archbishop Tomasi said that no laws would be effective “without a change of heart.”

“It is the heart that must continually be purified so that it will no longer be governed by fear or the spirit of domination, but by openness to others, fraternity and solidarity,” he said.

Respect for human dignity is at the core of defeating racism, the archbishop concluded – and the latter will never come otherwise.

What does Catholicism have to do with climate change?

Shifting gears, a large section of today’s news focuses on a push on Capitol Hill for combating climate change, with voices from the White House to the U.S. bishops seeking to influence that legislation.

Earth Day (today, in case you haven’t yet been clued in by Google’s homepage) will kick off the scores of testimonies in the House this week on carbon emissions’ impact on the environment, with Democrats’ goal being to tax utilities and other major emitters of carbon gasses.

While Congress wrangles over the details and concerns surrounding such a bill, a coalition of Catholic groups has also stepped into the debate: but they have a somewhat different goal in mind.

 The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change says its focus is seeking legislation that will specifically take into account the needs of those most vulnerable to climate change – the poor.

“For us the moral message on climate-change legislation is how it treats the least of these,” said John Carr, coalition chairman and director of the USCCB committee of Justice, Peace and Human Development. “Our voice is going to be that voice that puts the poor first.”

Meanwhile, the coalition launched the Catholic Climate Covenant campaign, encouraging Catholics to take a “St. Francis Pledge” of praying about and living out the duty to care for creation and protect the poor.

But perhaps the most underappreciated “green” move comes from the Vatican itself, which is eyeing nearly 750 acres north of Rome as the future site of what would be the biggest solar plant in Europe.

Despite the global recession and other European countries’ backpedaling on efforts to implement renewable energy sources, “now is the time to strike,” said the Vatican City governor in a Bloomberg interview, adding that in the long run, the initiative “will reap incomparable rewards.”

The Vatican took a major step in solar energy last year by powering the 6,300-seat papal audience hall with $1.5 million’s worth of donated panels. The plant project, though, would supply power for about 40,000 households and reduce over 90,000 tons of carbon emissions per year.

Pope Benedict XVI himself – dubbed the “Green Pope” by some because of his outspokenness on environmental issues –most recently mentioned climate change in his 2009 Easter message, including it as one of the urgent reasons to “rediscover grounds for hope.”

And at last summer’s World Youth Day, the pope went further in connecting care for the environment with respect for mankind – “the apex of God’s creation,” he said at the event’s welcoming ceremony. 

The vital issues of protecting the environment and seeking justice and peace cannot be understood, he said, “apart from a profound reflection upon the innate dignity of every human life … a dignity conferred by God himself and thus inviolable.”

Later that summer, he said care of creation is a result of our acceptance of God – and that conversely, the destruction of creation comes from a purely materialistic worldview with no room for God. Launching into a brief explication of a “theology of creation,” so to speak, he said:

The brutal consumption of Creation begins where God is not, where matter is henceforth only material for us, where we ourselves are the ultimate demand, where the whole is merely our property and we consume it for ourselves alone. And the wasting of creation begins when we no longer recognize any need superior to our own, but see only ourselves.

… I think, therefore, that true and effective initiatives to prevent the waste and destruction of Creation can be implemented and developed, understood and lived only where creation is considered as beginning with God; where life is considered as beginning with God and has greater dimensions - in responsibility before God - and one day will be given to us by God in fullness and never taken away from us: in giving life we receive it.

What does Catholicism have to do with climate change? There’s our answer. Our belief in God and in “life everlasting” can only lead to care and concern for the world God’s placed us in. And in affirming our respect for creation, we likewise proclaim our most dearly held respect for the dignity of man himself. Born or unborn, rich or poor, young or elderly, our dignity has been given to us by God Himself – and that’s something worth preserving.

Racism, clown wigs ... and a message from the pope

In his opening address to the United Nations conference on racism in Geneva, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched into a tirade against Israel, Zionism, the United States and the West in general, prompting walkouts and angry shouts of protests.  

On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Ahmadinejad asserted that Jews used the “pretext of Jewish suffering” to inflict homelessness on Palestinians, helping “bring to power the most cruel and repressive, racist regime in Palestine.”

Diplomats from more than 20 European countries also walked out during the rant. The most bizarre pictures of the chaos include security dragging away protestors who donned rainbow-colored wigs and threw red clown noses at the president to “symbolize the masquerade that this conference represents.”

“I deplore the use of this platform by the Iranian President to accuse, divide and even incite,” the U.N. secretary general said in a statement after the address. “This makes it significantly more difficult to build constructive solutions to the very real problem of racism.”

The Obama administration, of course, made news over the weekend for opting to boycott the conference, citing the anti-Israel sentiment that marked the last racism conference in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, as well as sections in the conference declaration urging policies against media “incitement” of racial hatred – a conflict with the United State’s commitment to “unfettered free speech,” the State Department said.

Saying that the documents in essence still reaffirmed the 2001 Durban conference, particularly in its judgments of Israel, the United States joined several other countries in boycotting the Geneva conference.

The Vatican, however, was one state that did choose to participate in the conference, with Pope Benedict XVI himself drawing attention to its significance, urging participants last Sunday to take “firm and concrete action … to prevent and eliminate every form of racism and intolerance.”

In typical Benedict fashion, though, the reminds us that only in Christ and His Church will we ever truly fulfill such an ideal. (And for the record, the Vatican condemned the Iranian president's remarks as "extremist and unacceptable.")

“The Church, for her part, continues to insist that only the recognition of the dignity of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God, is capable of providing a sound foundation for such a commitment,” he said. “Indeed, the common destiny of all mankind flows from this … which ought also to arise in everyone a powerful sense of solidarity and responsibility.”

Weekend wrap

Over the weekend:

• Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter from Jerusalem to Moscow, Greece to Georgia. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated his first Easter liturgies as head of the Russian Orthodox Church, reminding believers that “Christ's resurrection is the foundation of a life that has conquered death, sin and corruption.” He added, “Where blood is shed and people suffer, where the image of God is trampled upon in pursuit of greed, conflict and selfishness, let us come to the defense of this image by fulfilling our Christian vocation.”

• Worshippers packed St. Patrick’s Cathedral for Archbishop Dolan’s first Sunday Mass in New York. "We live in an era of doubting Thomases," Dolan said in his homily, referring to the Gospel account of the resurrected Christ appearing to the Apostles. "We only accept as true what can be proven. The most important things in life - the things that sustain us, the things that nourish us, the things that get us through - happen to be unseen. Those things that are seen and touched and verifiable often let us down."

• In a Sunday interview with CNN, New York Gov. David Paterson defended his proposed bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the state, saying such legislation was called for by separation of church and state. And while Paterson said “we are not trying in any way to disrespect anyone’s religious belief,” he added “we are trying to, in any way, make people believe what we believe about the validity about same-sex marriage.”

• The Senate Finance Committee will vote Tuesday on Kathleen Sebelius’ nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services. If that committee approves her, the nomination will go to the full Senate for confirmation. On top of tax issues, Sebelius’ latest confirmation trouble has been the revelation that she did not reveal the full amount of political donations she received from a late-term, controversial Kansas abortionist.

• Two officials in the Obama administration voiced their opinions on reactions against their departments or White House policies in general.

Obama aide David Axelrod said the numerous “tea party” protests that sprang up across the country on tax day could signal an “unhealthy” movement. “I think the tea bags should be directed elsewhere because (Obama) certainly understands the burden that people face,” Axelrod said Sunday on CBS. 

Likewise, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano decried protests against her department’s recent report on right-wing extremism as fueled by “politicization.” The report, which included abortion opponents and veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan as potential recruits to extremist movements, was heavily criticized by many conservative and veterans groups over the past week.

• Finally, on Friday the National Institutes of Health released guidelines for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, following President Obama’s executive order earlier this year to loosen Bush-era restrictions on the embryo-destructive methods.

While restrictions remain in place – the NIH won’t fund any “clone and kill” methods, and researchers are limited to embryos left over from treatments at fertility centers – the guidelines would still allow for the destruction of many more embryos than was permitted under the Bush administration.

The NIH guidelines are currently up for a 30-day comment period.

An unnoticed theme from the past week’s news: religious freedom.

• Hong Kong’s outspoken Catholic leader may have retired, but his successor has already made it clear that he shares Cardinal Joseph Zen’s firm stance against Beijing’s abuse of human rights and freedom.

China’s is already experiencing recently heightened tensions with the Holy See. Last month police arrested a prominent bishop of the underground Catholic Church, just as the Vatican was holding a commission with Chinese Church leaders on the state of Catholics in the communist country.

On the issue of human rights, Beijing’s release just this past week of a document detailing an action plan to deal with torture, the death penalty and health care was roundly criticized by the world community for leaving out the obvious: China’s egregious abuses of basic human rights such as freedom of speech and religion.

“We are born free and human rights are given by God,” said Hong Kong’s new bishop, John Tong Ton. “We shouldn’t be restricted by any political government.”

• Meanwhile, a recent panel discussion among scholars of foreign affairs at Georgetown University concluded with this call to America’s faithful: to urge our leaders to make religious freedom a core aspect of United States foreign policy.

The Catholic News Service reported that one of the speakers, former U.S. diplomat and visiting Georgetown professor Thomas Farr, noted a dichotomy between religion and diplomatic policy.

“There is this erroneous notion that it’s unconstitutional if we are talking to religious leaders around the world,” CNS quoted Farr as saying.

Farr later added, “If the Obama administration wants to foster democracy that lasts, it must focus on fostering religious liberty.”

• Just before Easter, the Wall Street Journal ran an op/ed describing recent challenges to religious liberties around the world, particularly life-threatening cases in which converts from a particular religion face death in their own countries on charges of apostasy. The author – a director at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty – wrote from the unique perspective of one anticipating entrance to the Catholic.

“As I light my candle from the flame of the Easter Vigil bonfire … I will recall those converts who remain trapped by the shackles of antiapostasy laws, hiding in fear for their lives,” Ashley Samelson wrote. “I will think about those who must keep the flame of their religious convictions trapped in the shadows of their consciences.”

• Finally, closer to home: We mentioned yesterday the battle growing in Connecticut over a particular bill on same-sex marriage and its devastating impact on citizen’s religious liberties. 

There's a sad irony in Thomas Farr’s quote about fostering religious freedom in order to ensure democracy, as the very freedoms America was founded on are under fire.

Marriage news roundup

The day after attending Archbishop Timothy Dolan’s installation Mass in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, Gov. David Paterson moved on his pledge to introduce same-sex marriage legislation to lawmakers in Albany – an action criticized by not only the new archbishop in town, but by many advocates for same-sex marriage, themselves.

Even one state legislator who plans to cross the state border and marry his partner in Connecticut was skeptical of the plan, telling Newsday that if the bill fails – and the number of supporting votes is doubtful – “it could potentially have national implications – the opponents of same-sex marriage could say even in liberal New York, this couldn’t pass.”

Setting aside that the same could be said of California’s decision to uphold traditional marriage last fall, the timing of the bill promises an early example of how Archbishop Dolan will engage the public square. Just before his installation, he told reporters he wouldn’t “sidestep” topics like same-sex marriage, saying he would be “active and present and, I hope, articulate” in defending the Church’s position.

The NY Daily News quoted the archbishop as adding, “We bishops aren’t into politics, we’re into principles.”

That story went on to quote Paterson himself saying, “Whenever there’s legislation, it’s a chance to discuss issues and a chance to persuade people.”

Still, at least one New York lawmaker has been outspoken against his fellow Democrat’s proposal, particularly in its timing.

The AP quotes Sen. Ruben Diaz calling the bill “a laugh in the face of the new archbishop.”

“The Jews just finished their holy week. The Catholics just received the new archbishop,” Diaz said the day Paterson unveiled his plan. “The evangelical Christians just celebrated Good Friday and resurrection. He comes out to do this at this time? It's a challenge the governor is sending to every religious person in New York and the time for us has come for us to accept the challenge.”

Across the New York state border in Connecticut, another storm is brewing over marriage legislation, but this one has taken the distinct tone of a battle for religious liberties.

Headline Bistro has an exclusive story on that legislation, along with the scoop on rather persuasive poll numbers suggesting that the protection of religious freedoms resonates strongly among Connecticut voters.

Critics of Connecticut’s legislation say it goes even further than last summer’s court ruling to legalize same-sex marriage, as it rejects nearly all legal protections for public officials, religious groups and other individuals who refuse to participate in or condone same-sex marriage. 

“The creation of a new right to same-sex marriage does not somehow invalidate the First Amendment,” said attorney Peter Wolfgang, president of the Family Institute of Connecticut and one of the leading voices against the bill.

More information on the bill can be found at www.ActNowCT.org.