The following letter was sent to each of the Bishops of Massachusetts, in response to Massachusetts Catholic Conference, the church's political advocacy arm statewide action. The state's Roman Catholic bishops took their fight against same-sex marriage directly to parishioners last week, announcing a direct-mail campaign that will target nearly a million Massachusetts families, and claiming their concern for children.

The RSM respondes:

January 18, 2004

Excellencies:

It is my hope that this letter finds you in the soundest of health, and that the compassion of Jesus Christ reigns in your heart.

Recently you issued a political message on Gay Marriage, claiming religious grounds to do so. It would appear you are seeking to achieve through political means what you could not do through moral means. The pejorative tone used in this effort calls for a response from the Rainbow Sash Movement.

You say this is not about civil rights; rather it is about protecting the family. How can you protect families on one hand, and on the other deny gay and lesbian families their rights? Your rational may have had some integrity to it, if you had said you were out to protect heterosexual marriage, and heterosexual families. However to use the inclusive term families is disingenuous, and misleading.

The exclusion of gays and lesbians from marriage degrades gay and lesbian families, and makes of them second rate citizens. You have yet to answer the simple question of how issuing marriage license to gay and lesbian couples threatens marriage. Saying it does, does not make it so, where is your proof? You wish to deny our community our basic human right, the right to marry, based on fear. Do you understand this not only denies gay and lesbian couples the right to legal protections, but it also denies their children that same right?

The heart of Catholic Social Justice Principals says that discrimination is wrong. For too long, you have allowed prejudicial judgments, expressed in a variety of negative descriptive words and discriminatory actions to go unchecked. Once again you offer condemnation instead of compassion. How can we trust your moral judgment when you see all gay and lesbian couples as perverted? You fail to recognize gay and lesbian families as being honest, charitable and loving, and I am certain, treasured by God.

As pastoral ministers in the Church, you have to change this attitude. Where is your compassionate listening? You fail to recognize your role as compassionate ministers, to reach out pastorally, and make the Church truly a welcoming and inclusive community.

At the end of the U.S. Bishops' pastoral letter "Always Our Children," you state:

To our homosexual brothers and sisters we offer a concluding word. This message has been an outstretched hand to your parent and families inviting them to accept God's grace present in their lives and to trust in the unfailing mercy of Jesus our Lord. Now we stretch out our hands and invite you to do the same. We are called to become one body, one spirit in Christ. We need one another if we are to "…grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper function of each part bring about the body's growth and builds itself up in love" (Eph 4:15-16)

Though at times you may feel discouraged, hurt, or angry, do not walk away from your families, from the Christian community, from all those who love you. In you God's love is revealed. You are always our children.

Were these empty words on your part?

The Teachings of the Church makes it clear that the fundamental rights of homosexual persons must be defended and that all must strive to eliminate any forms of injustice, oppression, or violence against gays and lesbians. Nothing in the Bible or in Catholic teaching can be used to justify prejudicial or discriminatory attitudes and behaviors.

The Rainbow Sash Movement calls on you to confront your fears about homosexuality and to curb your attacks on the gay and lesbian community. We need to face the reality that there is a basic incoherence in the Church's teaching on homosexuality, and begin to talk about that.

We call on you to seek justice, to promote social unity, and to support all families, not just the privileged ones. Every citizen of the United States should have the right to marry the person they love.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Joe Murray
US Convener
Rainbow Sash Movement.