Catholics Protest Launch of the Bishops' "Fortnight for Freedom" Campaign

Catholics for Equality, the country's largest national political organization of pro-LGBT equality Catholics, joined hands tonight with several fair-minded and faithful Catholic social justice groups in organizing a peaceful protest outside the kickoff Mass for the bishops' "Fortnight for Freedom" election year political campaign. The Catholic groups came together with prayers and hymns under one giant united banner which read, Bishops: We Need Pastors, Not Politicians, Your Antics are Hurting the Church.

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"The bishops no longer represent Catholics in the pews on so many social issues, from contraception to legal equality for LGBT people," said Joseph Palacios, Director of the Catholics for Equality Foundation. "We also reject the bishops' election year campaign that they are now somehow victims of religious liberty."

According to a new report released today by the Public Religion Research Institute, 57% of American Catholics do not believe that the right to religious liberty is being threatened in America today. The report also notes that 65% of Catholics believe that most employers should be required to provide their employees with health care plans that cover contraception at no cost and that 63% believe religiously affiliated agencies should not be able to refuse to place children with qualified gay and lesbian couples.

"The bishops' "Fortnight for Freedom" 2012 campaign is nothing more than election year political posturing," said Phil Attey, Executive Director of Catholics for Equality. "For the past 10 years the bishops' have earned the public branding of abusers, oppressors, and political bullies. Catholics in the pews don't listen to them anymore and nor do political leaders ... including Catholic political leaders. In order to change this political reality, the bishops need to change their branding from bully to victim. But nobody's buying it and they're only bringing more embarrassment to our church."