As a result, gay activists have been targeting religious communities in that state who oppose same-sex marriage and are trying to sow dissent there.

It’s not surprising that a group of people who believe they can simply redefine what marriage is also thinks they can simply redefine what it means to be Catholic.

At any rate, I applaud the Minnesota Catholic Conference and the Archdiocese of Saint Paul & Minneapolis for calling one of the worst-offending groups out:

The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and the Minnesota Catholic Conference issued a joint statement today explaining that a newly formed group calling itself “Catholics for Marriage Equality MN” has no recognition from nor affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church.

One of Catholics for Marriage Equality MN’s expressed aims is to defeat the Minnesota Marriage Protection Amendment that will appear on the November 2012 ballot, and which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The group misleadingly tries to convince Catholics that they can, in good conscience, support a state redefinition of marriage without undermining marriage itself. The Catholic Church, in keeping with Catholic teaching, reason and natural law, and in concert with many other faiths, strongly supports maintaining the current, traditional definition of marriage by voting “yes” for the Amendment during the November 2012 election.

[Read the full statement here.]

I’ve written about the umbrella group behind this Minnesota chapter (“Catholics for Equality”) here and also made sure to point out when the Archdiocese of DC clarified that the group was founded “in opposition to Church teaching”. Abp. Broglio of the Archdiocese of the Military Services has also made clear that Catholics for Equality is a fake Catholic group.

Meanwhile, If you live in Minnesota, I urge you to join the Minnesota for Marriage campaign which is the main group dedicated to making sure marriage wins at the ballot box in 2012.

And on a related note, check-out the newly-launched Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance which is dedicated to protecting and defending individuals who have publicly spoken-out or acted in defense of traditional marriage. Catholics and other people of good will need to stick together and stand up for marriage!

The Archdiocese of Washington has today responded to a false claim circulated by the Rainbow Sash Movement that this event is happening with the permission of the Archdiocese:

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has reaffirmed the illegitimate status of Catholics for Equality, a budding homosexualist “Catholic” group that is scheduled to host a student event at Georgetown University on Wednesday evening.

The archdiocesan statement followed a statement from the Rainbow Sash Movement (RSM), another “Catholic” homosexualist group, which had claimed in a press release that D.C. Cardinal Donald Wuerl had explicitly allowed Catholics for Equality to appear at Georgetown.

“The Rainbow Sash Movement wishes to congratulate Cardinal Wuerl of the Archidocese of Washington for siding with common sense and reason” by condoning the event, stated the Rainbow Sash press release, entitled “Gay Catholics welcome Cardinal’s (sic) Wuerl’s Change of Heart on Gay Rights.”

Susan Gibbs, communications director for the Archdiocese of Washington, called the Rainbow Sash press release a “nice piece of fiction” and asserted that Catholics for Equality was not a legitimate Catholic organization.

“Putting the label ‘Catholic’ on a group doesn’t make it Catholic,” Gibbs told LifeSiteNews.com. “It’s not a Catholic organization. It was formed in opposition to Catholic teaching.” [LifeSiteNews]

I am very pleased to see that the Archdiocese is taking steps to ensure that Catholics are not confused and further misled by the efforts of Catholics for Equality and the Rainbow Sash Movement.

Time permitting I will be posting updates from the debate tonight on my Twitter account. Those who wish to watch the debate after it has concluded may (hold their nose) and do so at the Catholics for Equality website.

Understanding the Catholic Vote can be daunting at first, but some insights are straightforward enough, such as the five points presented by Deal Hudson. Here’s my list of five:

The First point to understand about the Catholic Vote is that it does not matters if someone identifies themselves as Catholic, what matter is if someone is a practicing Catholic who believes in the teachings of the Church. Poll after poll shows that Catholics who attend Mass weekly (i.e., Sunday Mass) are far more likely to vote for candidates who are pro-life (for instance) than Catholics who do not even attend Sunday Mass regularly. This is not surprising, if someone does not even attempt to honor the most elementary obligations of their faith, why should they be expected to honor the moral commitment to vote with a Catholic conscience?

Outside groups attempting to twist the Catholic Vote (Reproductive Health Reality Check is a good example) spend most of their time talking about Catholics in general, as opposed to examining the voting habits and trends of active Catholics.

Second, Catholics don’t simply vote for other Catholics. They vote for candidates who share their commitment to the values highlighted by the Church’s social teaching. A strong pro-life, pro-family Lutheran (for instance) will garner more of the active “Catholic Vote” than a Catholic candidate who is totally pro-abortion and pro-same sex marriage. Active Catholics aren’t “tribal”; they vote to promote the common good.

Third, active Catholics care about many issues, but their litmus test for supporting a candidate is normally limited to foundational issues, such as human life and dignity, the institution of marriage, freedom of religion, etc. If a candidate gets one of these foundational issues wrong, they cannot expect enthusiastic support from active Catholics.

Fourth, the Catholic Vote is in need of further education and initiatives to promote greater involvement. Catholics tend to view private institutions (such as Catholic charities and pregnancy centers) as the institutional vehicle for helping society. This is a very good thing, but at the same time, Catholics need to realize that they must also take an active role in shaping a government that promotes (not hinders) private institutions.

Fifth, the Catholic vote is still up for grabs. What we are witnessing today is the interplay between the generational transition from the Baby Boomers to the “John Paul II Generation.” The emerging group of young Catholics have little patience for the tired arguments of John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi. Rather, the next set of Catholic leaders and voters is excited about bringing their Catholic convictions into the public square.

One of the many fascinating events that will (probably) take place tomorrow, is the number of Catholic Democrats who will be swept out of office. Catholic Democrats (an organization whose efforts I must regretfully oppose), in a recent campaign mailing, provided this chart of vulnerable Democrats:

As you can see, 42 Catholic Democrats stand to lose their jobs tomorrow.

Why do you think this could be, based on the five points I have listed above?