Closet Jesuits?

Uh oh, Archbishop O'Malley, word coming from Springfield is that you have thinking priests there – a large majority of them. That could spell trouble from the diocese known for Dr. Seuss and Indian motorcycles.

It turns out that only 1 in 5 local RC priests signed the ballot initiative petition for stopping same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Don't they know when to check their brains at the door?

According to the Springfield Republican, 31 of 154 active local priests signed up. Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell, and Archbishop Sean O'Malley told them they should sign.

It is public record who signed and by inference, who did not. Reasons for priests not signing, with sources, might be:

• Priests in general and gay ones in particular might not want to support an anti-gay measure. (East Longmeadow Priest James J. Scahill)
• An "acknowledgment that same-sex unions are among people willing to make public commitments of genuine love." (Scahill)
• Civil v. religious; Massachusetts isn't asking RC priests to "sacramentalize" same-sex unions. (Scahill's personal reason for not signing)
• Priests really, truly signed, but their signatures ended up on a petition that was wholly disqualified. Oh, yeah, right. (Petition organizer Larry Cirignano of Catholic Citizenship)
• A silent protest against the petition contents. (Aaron D. Toleos, director of Knowthyneighbor.org)