WILL CATHOLIC CHURCH PUNISH POOR FOR DC'S GAY MARRIAGE LAW?

Change - Last month, Archbishop Wuerl threatened to stop all Catholic-run social services in the city if D.C. legalized gay marriage. Now that the City Council has voted to enact equal marriage rights, the Catholic Church faces a question: Will it stop serving the homeless, the needy, and those without health care, simply to protest gay marriage?

It's a game of political hot potato, with Archbishop Wuerl putting the lives of people in need on the line. . .

Last month, the Archdiocese of Washington issued its stern threat in hopes of intimidating city council members into voting "no" on gay marriage. But the vast majority of city councilors agreed that civil rights aren't up for blackmail, and that if the Catholic Church was going to end its social services in the city, the Church would have on its own conscience the denial of services to the poor. Can the Church, after all, really claim to be an authentic voice of spirituality if it's willing to throw needy families and homeless folks under a bus, simply to protest two women or two men who love each other?. . .

If the Archbishop sticks with his plan to end all Catholic social services, upwards of 68,000 people will be affected . . .