John Nienstedt

A report issued by HRC names the Catholic Church a top funder of campaigns opposed to gay marriage. A report issued by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) concludes that the Roman Catholic Church is a? top funder of campaigns opposed to gay marriage. ?Taking up where the Mormons left off in 2008, the Catholic Church ? and its affiliate, the Knights of Columbus ? have made considerable investments in the marriage fights in Minnesota, Maryland, Washington State and Maine this election cycle ? spending at least $1.1 million to date. In addition, a close ally of the Church and past co-conspirator, the National Organization for Marriage, has spent nearly $1.4 million this cycle,? the authors wrote. HRC estimates that marriage foes have raised roughly $4.1 million across the four states, and that the Catholic Church's contributions make up 27 percent of those donations. ?The majority of Catholics support equality for their LGBT sisters and brothers, and they do so precisely because their faith c

Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has called out the anti-gay marriage views of Pope Benedict XVI and John Nienstedt. ?Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has called out the anti-gay marriage views of Pope Benedict XVI and John C. Nienstedt, the archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Kluwe, a vocal supporter of marriage equality, was prompted to write an op-ed after reading a 2010 letter from Nienstedt, in which the bishop suggested to a woman pleading for acceptance for her gay child that her support for her child was placing her soul in jeopardy. ?I write to inform you that the teaching of the Catholic Church on homosexuality, as described in paragraphs 2357 and 2358 and 2359 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is rooted in Scripture and based on the Natural Moral Law,? he wrote. ?It, therefore, shares in God's revelation to us. Catholics are bound in conscience to believe this teaching. Those who do not cannot consider themselves to be Catholic and ought not to participate

John C. Nienstedt has sent another letter asking Roman Catholic parishioners to support a proposed gay marriage ban. ?John C. Nienstedt, the archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, has sent another letter asking Roman Catholic parishioners to support a proposed gay marriage ban. Voters in November will decide on a constitutional amendment which would define marriage as a heterosexual union in the state. Nienstedt's latest appeal was read in Twin Cities parishes last Sunday. ?Our effort to support God's unchanging plan for marriage is not a campaign against anyone, but rather a positive effort to promote the truth about marriage as a union between one man and one woman,? he wrote. ?But the reality is that marriage is not ours to redefine, just as another human life is not ours to take. God is both the author of life and the author of marriage. It is this most fundamental understanding of the natural order that animates who we are as Catholics. ? It is also why we fight to defend God's p

Father Bob Pierson last month told Catholics that it's OK to vote against a proposed gay marriage ban in Minnesota. Father Bob Pierson, an openly gay priest in the monastic community at St. John's University in Collegeville, last month told Catholics that it is okay to vote against a proposed gay marriage ban in Minnesota. At an event in Edina, Pierson told roughly 200 Catholics that the amendment ?violates an important principle in Catholic teaching, and that as Catholics, we can vote no.? ?The Catechism of the Catholic Church states in #2358, gays and lesbians 'must be accepted with respect, compassion , and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.'? ?It was in November 2005 that I was offended to learn the Vatican had released a document that stated that gay men cannot be priests because they are 'seriously obstructed from properly relating to men and women,'? Pierson said. ?I couldn't believe what I was reading. I knew that I was gay when

About 100 people on Sunday gathered outside the Cathedral of St. Paul to protest the archdiocese's support for a gay marriage ban. About 100 people on Sunday gathered outside the Cathedral of St. Paul to protest the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis' support for a proposed constitutional amendment which would define marriage as a heterosexual union, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. The weekly protest, now in its third week, is organized by the group Catholics for Marriage Equality MN. Archbishop John C. Nienstedt has strongly supported the move to ban gay marriage in the state. In January, he was criticized for ordering priests to support the amendment or remain silent. The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the Archdiocese's lobbying wing, is a member of the Minnesota for Marriage Coalition, the largest group lobbying for the amendment's passage. ?It's an attempt by Catholic people to stand up and say no to the priority the archbishop has set in spending last fiscal year, 2011,

Archbishop John Nienstedt has issued a prayer in support of Minnesota's proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. John Nienstedt, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, has issued a prayer in support of Minnesota's proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the state, the Star Tribune reported. Voters will decided on the amendment in November. ?The current struggle to defend and define marriage within our civil constitution demands a three-fold approach,? Nienstedt wrote in an open letter posted on the archdiocese's website. ?We must actively and resolutely promote widespread participation among our fellow believers in the support of a marriage amendment. And most importantly, we must pray and offer sacrifice for the success of all endeavors that seek to protect and promote marriage.? Nienstedt offered Catholics the following ?marriage prayer? to be recited during mass. ?Through the powerful intercession of the Holy Family, grant to th

Catholic and fed up: Conservative Catholics take to blogosphere to rid church of heresy. Pressure is on to change the Roman Catholic Church in America, but it's not coming from the usual liberal suspects. A new breed of theological conservatives has taken to blogs and YouTube to say the church isn't Catholic enough.

Catholic and fed up: Conservative Catholics take to blogosphere to rid church of heresy. Pressure is on to change the Roman Catholic Church in America, but it's not coming from the usual liberal suspects. A new breed of theological conservatives has taken to blogs and YouTube to say the church isn't Catholic enough.

The Rev. Tim Vakoc, a Minnesota priest who was gravely wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq five years ago, has died, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said Sunday. He was 49.

Minnesota chaplain dies 5 years after being wounded in Iraq. The Rev. Tim Vakoc, a Minnesota priest who was gravely wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq five years ago, has died, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said Sunday. He was 49.

Vatican China envoy: Time has come get tough with Beijing; diplomatic relations overvalued. The Vatican's top envoy for China says the time has come for the Holy See to get tough with Beijing and not compromise over religious freedom.

Religion News in Brief. The Vatican's top envoy for China says the time has come for the Holy See to get tough with Beijing and not compromise over religious freedom.