After bishop's warning, Wisconsin votes against same-sex marriage

Published: 2006-11-08

MADISON, Wis. (CNS) -- After Catholics in the Madison Diocese heard a message at all Masses Nov. 4-5 in which Bishop Robert C. Morlino urged them to support traditional marriage and to oppose the death penalty and embryonic stem-cell research, voters in the state approved a marriage amendment and an advisory measure calling for reinstatement of capital punishment. The vote was 59 percent to 41 percent in favor of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman, and 55 percent to 45 percent in favor of asking the Wisconsin Legislature to reinstate the death penalty. The stem-cell question was not on the Wisconsin ballot this year, but played a role in some state races. In a letter directing priests to play his 14-minute tape-recorded message in place of a homily during the Nov. 4-5 weekend, Bishop Morlino warned his priests that he would consider "any verbal or nonverbal expression of disagreement" with church teaching on same-sex marriage "as an act of disobedience, which could have serious consequences."

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