Minn. gay marriage fight cuts deep for Catholics

PATRICK CONDON, Associated Press
Updated 10:44 a.m., Saturday, November 3, 2012

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Under the soaring ceiling of the Cathedral of St. Paul, about four dozen Catholics sitting in a cluster prayed a rosary in silence. The devotional litany is normally recited aloud, but the worshippers — branded dissidents for embracing gay rights by church leaders who support a constitutional ban on gay marriage — had been told to be quiet.

"He said we were praying against the teaching of the church, and as director of the parish it was his authority to determine when public prayer was OK and when it was not," Barbara Frey, a lifelong Catholic, said in describing an April confrontation with the Cathedral's rector. Since that encounter six months ago, the group has gathered at the cavernous church each Tuesday night for a silent rosary.

As Minnesota's gay marriage vote draws near, the divide between Minnesota's Catholic hierarchy and some churchgoers gets starker. Minnesota's Roman Catholic Church has donated heavily in support of the proposed ban and called on members to support it, leaving gay-friendly Catholics in an increasingly tough position.

While some pray silently, many are noisily opposing their leaders. At fundraisers and news conferences, through yard signs and bumper stickers, and even in confrontations on church property, these believers have pushed back even as bishops, priests and their allies suggest salvation is at stake.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Minn-gay-marriage-fight-cuts-deep-for-Catholics-4005810.php