Inside the Capitol

Minnesota and France redefined marriage in the same week, yet the differences in public reaction to this decision in both places could hardly be starker.

In France, multiple protests were held in Paris and other major cities both before and after the decision, some of which had hundreds of thousands of participants. The “Manif Pour Tous” (“Protest for All”) movement, made up primarily of young people across the social and ideological spectrum, shows no sign of abating. In Minnesota, it was a small feat to get even 1,000 to the Capitol to oppose this legislation.

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The House of Representatives will vote on same-sex marriage legislation on Thursday, May 9. If marriage is redefined in Minnesota, it will be in no small part because proponents were able to convince legislators and the people of Minnesota into concluding that the legislation adequately respects and protects the religious liberty of those who firmly believe marriage is between a man and a woman.

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As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pope John XXIII’s encyclical letter, “Pacem in Terris,” it is fitting we revisit a text that has such great relevance for us in contemporary society.

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Recently, the DFL leadership in the Minnesota House and Senate released their proposed budget targets. While the budget targets are said to allow for investments in Minnesota’s economic future, there are deep cuts proposed in the Minnesota Health and Human Services budget that could directly affect some of our state’s most vulnerable residents in a special way, particularly our sexually exploited youth.

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By the time you read this column, legislation to redefine marriage (HF 1054/SF 925) will likely have been passed out of committees in both the Minnesota House and Senate, and sent to the floor of each chamber, where it could receive a full vote at any time. (Have you called or visited your elected officials?)

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On Holy Thursday, Pope Francis will celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in an Italian youth prison, where he will wash and kiss the feet of 12 inmates.

Our new pope has made the mercy and forgiveness of God the Father —  the divine “justice” that we must also show to one another — an early theme of his pontificate. Our system of civil justice, if it is to be humane, must incorporate mercy and forgiveness into its policies as well — never as an abrogation of justice, but as its fulfillment.

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When Pope Benedict XVI announced he was abdicating the papacy, the speculation immediately began about the qualifications of the next pope. Many, of course, have strong opinions.

Whatever one thinks or hopes for in a new pontiff, it will be a blessing if the next pope is able to skillfully apply the perennial wisdom of the Catholic faith to the deepest challenges of our time, just as Pope Benedict XVI has done and for which he will long be remembered with gratitude.

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The Sandy Hook school massacre of 20 innocent children and seven adults by a troubled gunman — who used a semi-automatic “assault” rifle to kill his victims — has ignited a national debate about gun control.

America has a problem with gun violence. A culture that celebrates violence, coupled with a society in which guns are too easily accessible, has contributed to one gun tragedy after another — whether in the form of workplace shootings, street violence, domestic strife,  school massacres, or innocent kids just playing around like their “heroes” and getting killed.

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