New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan: We're Being Threatened With Lawsuits For Not Hosting Gay Weddings

[WillParkinson]

According to New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Catholic parishes have been inundated with threats of lawsuits over not hosting gay weddings. That revelation will come a surprise to the rest of the world, who has not heard a single peep about any such thing.
"One of our arguments has always been that people of principle who feel this violates their deepest-held convictions are going to be forced to the wall," Archbishop Dolan said. "We were told we were being Chicken Littles and that was ridiculous." But "no sooner was the ink dry," he said, than priests throughout the state started coming to him with stories of couples threatening to sue if they didn't agree to rent out their parishes for same-sex weddings.

Richard Barnes, executive director of the New York Catholic Conference, said threats like those are unlikely to gain legal traction in the near future. A religious exemption in the New York marriage law specifically prohibits lawsuits against churches that refuse to provide their buildings or services for gay weddings. It also protects such religious organizations from being penalized by the state, through loss of aid to church welfare programs, for example.

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2011/11/new-york-archbishop-timothy-dolan-were.html

[joeybee12]

1. Liar, liar pants on fire!!!!! knr

[xchrom]

2. whip 'em out archbishop. let's see 'em. nt

[Firebrand Gary]

3. Blatantly FALSE! A man of the cloth should no better than to lie.

Thats a one way ticket to hell if you ask me.

[yardwork]

4. Lying liar is lying.

[JDPriestly]

5. People threaten lawsuits all the time about the craziest things

-- and then they try to hire a lawyer and if the lawyer is honest, he tells them that they don't have a claim.

Someone could file a lawsuit against a church or pastor for refusing to hold a wedding in a church, but I doubt that someone could win.

Courts don't mess with religious disputes. It's called separation of church and state. The court is an organ of the state.

This is utter nonsense. The archbishop should have consulted with his lawyer before getting hysterical about this.

He should tell couples to go to their local Unitarian church if they want a church wedding. There are also other denominations that respect the right of gay couples to marry.

[closeupready]

6. Lies, lies, lies. There's a Commandment about that. Shame on you!

K&R

[GodlessBiker]

7. Do what you folks do best, Archbishop. Expose yourself; let's see the lawsuits.

[bengalherder]

8. Dox or GTFO, Bishie! n/t

[TlalocW]

9. I don't feel sorry for him, even if it's true

How many lawsuits have been/are threatened by non-Catholics when you won't let them use your facilities? There are probably more threats of this nature by people who don't grasp the concept of the Catholic church isn't going to allow other religions to use their facilities than there are homosexuals who are just as dumb. If anything, the homosexual requests are probably ironic.

Threats don't actually equal lawsuits. I've been threatened with a lawsuit by a mom and grandmother because the balloon animal I twisted for their little lovey-kins wasn't good enough. I told them I would do the paperwork for them because I wanted to see that trial.

TlalocW

[kenny blankenship]

10. I must warn you Archbishop Dolan: God sends liars to Hell, funny hats notwithstanding.

In the 8th circle of Hell the givers of false advice wander with their tongues on fire, their torments serving as a kind of warm-up act for the schismatics, who populate the 9th circle. But liars and counterfeiters go right to the 10th and final circle of Hell.

[marriageequality824]

11. Has the mormon church been threatened with lawsuits for not hosting non-mormon weddings?