ScreamingEagle
Gold Member
- Jul 5, 2004
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In a stunning disregard of the Constitution of the United States, the Connecticut Judiciary Committee recently proposed a bill stripping Roman Catholic bishops of their authority to govern fiscal and administrative diocesan affairs, according to a report by Fox News.
The action is seen as an unprecedented attempt to regulate the Catholic Church. Critics are calling the action payback for the Churchs efforts to prevent the legalization of same-sex marriage in the state, according to an article on LifeSiteNews.com.
The stated intent of the legislation is To revise the corporate governance provisions applicable to the Roman Catholic Church and provide for the investigation of the misappropriation of funds by religious corporations.
Referring specifically to structures of the Roman Catholic Church, the bill states: The corporation shall have a board of directors consisting of not less than seven nor more than thirteen lay members. The archbishop or bishop of the diocese or his designee shall serve as an ex-officio member of the board of directors without the right to vote.
The legislation would effectively strip the bishops and the priests of any true authority in the 67 parishes, limiting their role to matters pertaining exclusively to religious tenets and practices, reported LifeSiteNews.com.
In a move eerily reminiscent of the former Soviet Unions intrusion into the life of the Russian Orthodox Church that devastated the Churchs leadership and influence for decades, the Connecticut lawmakers purport to be acting for the greater good of the citizens of the state.
The church under attack in Connecticut? | The Citizen Online
The action is seen as an unprecedented attempt to regulate the Catholic Church. Critics are calling the action payback for the Churchs efforts to prevent the legalization of same-sex marriage in the state, according to an article on LifeSiteNews.com.
The stated intent of the legislation is To revise the corporate governance provisions applicable to the Roman Catholic Church and provide for the investigation of the misappropriation of funds by religious corporations.
Referring specifically to structures of the Roman Catholic Church, the bill states: The corporation shall have a board of directors consisting of not less than seven nor more than thirteen lay members. The archbishop or bishop of the diocese or his designee shall serve as an ex-officio member of the board of directors without the right to vote.
The legislation would effectively strip the bishops and the priests of any true authority in the 67 parishes, limiting their role to matters pertaining exclusively to religious tenets and practices, reported LifeSiteNews.com.
In a move eerily reminiscent of the former Soviet Unions intrusion into the life of the Russian Orthodox Church that devastated the Churchs leadership and influence for decades, the Connecticut lawmakers purport to be acting for the greater good of the citizens of the state.
The church under attack in Connecticut? | The Citizen Online
