Pat Quinn vs. Catholicism

Written by Robert Klein Engler

On Wednesday, November 20, 2013, the professed Catholic governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, signed a bill making same-sex marriage, or marriage between “two persons,” possible in the state.

Prior to Quinn’s signing the same-sex marriage bill, Francis Cardinal George condemned same-sex marriage in Illinois. The Cardinal said, “There will be consequences for the Church and society that will become clearer as the law is used to sue for discrimination.” He added that the new law is “bad law because it will contribute over the long run to the further dissolution of marriage and family life…”

Others have spoken out about the threat to society represented by same-sex marriage — some gay men among them. Paddy Manning, writing in the Irish Daily Mirror said, “Same-sex marriage is not some warm, fluffy equality bunny; it’s a barefaced state power grab… (where) The state gets to entirely remake marriage…”

In spite of these clear statements about the evil of same-sex marriage, Governor Quinn signed same-sex marriage into law. Was he listening when the Gospel was read at Mass? Was he paying attention to the cardinal and the bishop? Is Quinn, like some, a Democrat first and a Catholic second?

The same-sex marriage debate among Catholics is not about the separation of church and state. That argument is a smokescreen. The same-sex marriage debate in Illinois is about the Church asking those who claim to be Catholic to respect and follow the teachings of the Church. The debate is not about the Catholic Church imposing its beliefs on society, it is about the Church asking Catholic politicians to impose Catholic beliefs upon themselves.

The Church asks its members to choose: Are you a Catholic or are you a politician who supports same-sex marriage and will actively work against Church teachings? That’s the existential issue, not the false flag of separation of church and state.

Because Quinn’s relationship with the Catholic Church is not just a passing one, he should know when false flags are raised against the faith. His father was a public-relations official in the Catholic archdiocese of Chicago. Furthermore, Quinn attended the Catholic grade school, St. Isaac Jogues.

Quinn then graduated in 1967 from Fenwick High School, a Catholic school in Oak Park, Illinois. The motto of Fenwick High School is, “To reach the heights, aim high!” Did any of the heights of Catholic teaching rub off on him after all this Catholic education? Do they teach at Fenwick that it’s OK, if you’re a Catholic Democrat, to stick your thumb in the cardinal’s eye?

Quinn’s journey through Catholic education in Illinois asks us to go beyond his experience and wonder about what has happened to Catholic education across the state. Is the Catholic Church in Illinois just the religious arm of the now Marxist Democratic Party?

Something in Quinn’s moral education seems to be lacking. At the very least someone along the way should have pointed out to him that the Democratic Party in Illinois now stands for everything the Catholic Church opposes.

For those who are professed Catholics, the core problem that the cardinal’s letter addresses is the problem of a grave sin committed. Faithful Catholics also know recent statements by Pope Francis on gays and lesbians should not be interpreted by progressive Catholics to mean the Pope endorses same-sex marriage. Despite attempts to hijack his message, it is clear that the Pope was referring to accepting profession of faith by homosexuals at face value.

Furthermore, the opposition by the Church to same-sex marriage is not an attack on gay and lesbian people. In fact, the opposite is at work here. Same-sex marriage is an attack by radical gays and lesbians along with their Democratic Party mercenaries against the Church.

Make no mistake about it. The law that Governor Quinn signed is an act of terror against Catholics. As a professed Catholic, he should know what he is doing. If he does not know this, then why doesn’t he? Has the Church failed in its obligation to instruct its members in the apostolic tradition, or is Quinn suffering from  invincible ignorance and cannot understand this?

It is rare to see fellow Catholics mocking the Church the way we see it being done in Illinois by the Democrats. Perhaps the only thing rarer than this mockery is the silence we share about it. Excommunication is a way to break that silence.

What we see in Illinois politics, today, is analogous to what we see in some dysfunctional families with an alcoholic father. There is a conspiracy of silence in these families that allows abuse to continue.

It is the failure of the Archdiocese of Chicago to call abusers by name that has some Catholics scratching their heads. If my neighbor was breaking into my house with the intent of abusing my children, would I call the police and recite Illinois criminal law? No, I would tell the police, “My neighbor is breaking into my house. Arrest him!”

Sooner or later, someone in the Church must gather the courage to say, “Enough!” Excommunication is a way for Catholics to say to Catholic Democrats, “Enough!”

With politics as usual in Illinois, it’s unlikely anyone will be excommunicated. Quinn is an important player in the political game, and many in the Catholic Church are in it with him. The only place they’re going beyond this darkness is to a deeper darkness.

This article was originally posted at the AmericanThinker.com blog.