Morning homily

For Catholics still undecided going to the polls, let's take a look at what leaders of the Church are saying:

In Milwaukee, the Archbishop recently wrote briefly on the two referendum questions.

My duty, then, as your bishop, is to encourage, enlighten, and educate.

Simply put, we bishops of Wisconsin have encouraged you to vote YES on the marriage amendment and NO on the death penalty referendum.

The church has always been strongly allied with society, culture, and civilization, in promoting marriage and family. Strong, faithful, lifelong marriages, one man, one woman, wherein children are welcomed and lovingly raised, are the bedrock of society.

In Madison, Bishop Morlino has been a little more of an activist in his approach. He has a recorded homily that must be played in all churches today. Definitely worth listening to.

In LaCrosse, Bishop Listecki has written a letter to be read at every Mass.

One referendum asks whether we want our legislators to reestablish the death penalty in certain circumstances. On this referendum my fellow Bishops of the state of Wisconsin and I urge you to vote no. Pope John Paul II spoke out tirelessly against capital punishment and this teaching is reflected in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and echoed by Bishops all over the world. A culture of life does not select any of its members for death, not even those guilty of the most heinous crimes, as long as non-lethal means exist to protect society. As Jesus said to Peter when he cut off the ear of the high priest's servant, "Put back your sword."

The other referendum calls for an amendment to the State Constitution that would legally define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. On this referendum my fellow Bishops of the state of Wisconsin and I urge you to vote yes. We are seeing a lot of propaganda about benefits that could be lost by same sex-couples or people living together outside traditional marriage. This is simply not true.