Happy Birthday America | National Catholic Reporter

Happy Birthday America | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: If the Founding Fathers knew that the impetus for same sex marriage was hospitals, particularly Catholic hospitals, giving preference to estranged families over the long-time companion of the of the patient, I doubt they would have been surprised.  Marx would not have been either.  That is not a good thing.



Any political science or history student knows that the big three for the founders were Locke, Montesquieu and Rousseau.  Locke could never be confused with a Catholic (indeed, I am one of few Locke relatives who is Catholic),  Montesquieu, though Catholic, married a Protestant and is known for his contributions to our governmental structure - not the Catholicism of our ideal - which did not exist - he rather liked the Protestant side, and Rousseau was born Calvinist, became Catholic and died a Deist.  They would have all laughed at Weigel, except possibly to acknowledge Aristotle and the Classics, which were the educational core everywhere.  Indeed, they stopped with Aristotle in their Deism and today would likely favor Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and the late Christopher Hitchens - although they may have admired Pope Francis much more than George Weigel does.  Still, the uncomfortable fact for Catholics who would appropriate the founding is that they were, by and large, Masons.



The reason MSW had to write this column is that everyone is sure that the Church will be dragged kicking and screaming into the present.  As employers, they should yield right away.  Many already suspect that a largely gay clergy is beating up on gay workers as a way to deflect attention from themselves (even if only they are paying attention).  The fact is, the boat has sailed on civil marriage, which is regarded as sinful for Catholics to join into.  If they ignore such marriages by employees who are straight, suddenly changing their minds on gay ones can only be construed as bigotry.



As for celebrating gay weddings, that won't come from outside pressure but from within the Church when families of gay couples want them to go through the same torture of pre-Cana and showing up at Church that went through and so they can celebrate the nuptials in a religious setting.  Of course, what worries bishops is that their gay priesthood will bless the marriages anyway, or will get married themselves - either forcing an end to clerical celibacy or seeing a mass exodus of gay priests who can end their lonliness in the arms of another.