Jeremy Corey-Gruenes’ misplaced interpretation of the “Preserving Marriage in Minnesota” DVD, recently circulated to Catholics, desperately screams for clarification.

The marriage DVD was sent to remind Catholics of their religious obligations to the church, as well as church doctrine, especially regarding today’s socially controversial issues. Corey-Gruenes attempted to lead the readers to believe the DVD’s core purpose was to discriminate against same-sex proponents. The text of the DVD is quite the opposite. Never once did the archbishop or other contributors paint the same-sex proponents as evil or harmful or bad.

Quite the contrary; he reminded us we are all children of God to be loved and respected, and are always welcome in God’s church. But the message is clear. We have obligations as Catholics, often very tough obligations, especially in this controversial political climate. Obviously Corey-Gruenes is lacking a knowledge base of his obligations as a Catholic, as well as, a lack of understanding of church doctrine and Scripture. This was made obvious by his blatant disregard and disrespect for church authority by attacking the messenger — Archbishop John Neinstaedt. Then Jeremy Corey-Gruenes attempted to defend his position by interjecting his personal, political ideologies. You can’t have it both ways, Jeremy, there is no such thing as a “cafateria Catholic.”

The DVD discussed the social and civic ramifications of same-sex marriage and used data from places such as California, Iowa and Massachusetts. For example, since the passage of law in Massachusetts, churches refusing (for religious and moral obligations) to marry same-sex persons are facing possibilities of losing their tax-exempt status, as well as facing lawsuits. Christian schools at all levels are facing similar lawsuits and issues, and Catholic Charities in Boston has stopped facilitating adoptions. This has also been forcing a change in schools’ cirrculum despite objections and concerns from parents. These facilities operate with a certain set of core principles, morals and values. So what is happening is that not only is our ideology being challenged and attacked, but also the financial foundation by which they operate. Perhaps Corey-Gruenes needs to do some personal soul-searching and reflective prayer to remind him of his obligations and help him understand church doctrine.

“… the Church was here long before the American experiment, the government, and we are going to be here long after its demise … so it’s important to put in context the issues we are talking about today concerning the rights of Christians … this is unique to the American form of government. The Church is going to survive this experiment.”

Rebecca Fredrickson

Glenville