SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
More than 1,000 Catholics come out in support of gay marriage
Oct 26, 2012, 7:48 AM | Updated: 9:10 am
In addition to attending Mass at St. James Cathedral in Seattle Sunday, many Catholics will protest outside the church in support of same-sex marriage. (Photo by Bob Cerelli)
(Photo by Bob Cerelli)
The names of more than 1,000 Catholics will appear in a full-page newspaper ad Sunday endorsing Washington’s marriage equality law.
Catholic leaders, Peter Sartain the Archbishop for Western Washington, oppose Referendum 74. Sartain says the Catholic church is not “against” anything. It is “for marriage, for husbands and wives.”
In a video statement, Sartain says, “We are deeply concerned about equality, justice and the good of society and the family. Our support for traditional marriage is not born of bias or intolerance toward anyone. Instead, our purpose is to support the legal definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman in order to promote the common good.”
There has been push-back from some Catholics as a vote on Referendum 74 nears. A group of Jesuit-educated laypersons are planning a pro-marriage equality demonstration Sunday afternoon at St. James Cathedral in Seattle.
The advertisements of Catholics in support of same-sex marriage will appear in the Herald of Everett, The Seattle Times, and the Yakima Herald-Republic.
The Seattle Times company has taken the unusual stand of buying campaign ads in support of the referendum in its pages. That decision has upset news staff who say it hurts their credibility.
About five percent of the names in the add will appear as “anonymous.”
By LINDA THOMAS
