Bishop's letter

It's time for the annual Diocesan Appeal for the Diocese of Des Moines. This year, instead of donating, I wrote this letter on behalf of Paul and me.

Dear Bishop Pates



We are writing regarding the Annual Diocesan Appeal. We realize the Diocese does many good things with the funds received, but we will not be supporting the Appeal this year.


We were embarrassed by Diocese support of the Religious Conscience Protection Act, House Study Bill 50. While we agree the Church has a right to decide whether or not to allow same sex couples to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony.  After searching our consciences on this matter, we believe same sex couples have a right for a legal marriage in the eyes of the law, as the State of Iowa presently allows.

We know several gay people and have a niece who is married to her partner. They didn’t ask to be born the way they are, and just because their “difference” isn’t visible to our eyes doesn’t make them less different.


When the Diocese actively supported this type of far-reaching measure cloaked as the “Religious Conscience Protection Act” we were very disappointed. The bill was so poorly written that it allowed for discrimination in many areas. We don’t wish to support lobbying by the Diocese.


Paul and I donate locally to St. Malachy School and will send a donation to the St. Joseph Emergency Shelter.  
and we both signed it. This week Paul texted me to say we'd gotten a letter from the Bishop. I texted back, "Are we excommunicated?" halfways hoping the answer was "yes". But no. It was a poorly written half assed apology. I think. He said it was a mistake, but didn't really own up to what the mistake was, or who made the mistake.

For those of you not from Iowa, the crappy legislation the diocese supported would have allowed churches and small businesses to discriminate against pretty much anybody, including gay couples legally married. A Clarinda legislator came up with this sad idea. An example: A photographer books a wedding and then finds out it's a gay wedding. And she's a - gasp - Christian who doesn't believe in same sex marriage. She should be able to cancel the contract without fear of being sued. Or a landlord finds out the two roommates he leased an apartment to are really "partners" and wants them out of his property.

The legislation was so poorly written that it would have allowed not only illegal discrimination against legally married gay couples, it would have allowed all sorts of other discrimination. Therefore the bill didn't get out of committee. But I was still embarrassed that the Catholic Lobbyist had registered in favor of the bill. So take that Bishop!

Anyway, we got a nice thank you note from the Shelter. This week I'm also going to try donating blood at the Blood Center near where I work. Hope they can find a vein, and I'm not anemic or anything. I haven't been able to donate since I've been working in DSM. It's my Lenten deal this year - I'm not "giving up" anything - I'm giving something.