Minn. Catholics asked to pay for pro-marriage amendment campaign

Minnesota's Catholic bishops are mailing out an appeal to parishoners, asking them to financially support an effort to ban same-sex marriage in the state.

The letter is expected to reach tens of thousands of Catholic homes across the state. It will ask for their help to win passage of a constitutional amendment that will restrict marriage one man and one woman.

Jason Adkins is spokesman for the Minnesota Catholic Conference, which speaks for the Catholic Church on public policy matters. He said the letter is responding to interest among churchgoers about the matter.

"We've had all kinds of requests about where can people give, and where can they donate, and so this mailing is a way to give them an opportunity to give to this very important campaign," Adkins said. "We haven't used collection plate money, parish assessments, annual appeal money, so this is really the first direct ask in most instances that the church is making."

Adkins said the letter suggests donations to Minnesota for Marriage, the main group campaigning for the amendment.

"Most of those contributions will used for mass media outreach, getting the message out and most likely TV ads," Adkins said.

Opponents have been contributing to Minnesotans United for All Families, which released its first television ad featuring a Catholic couple urging voters to defeat the amendment.

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Follow Tim Nelson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/timnelson_mpr

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