UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter
by Joshua J. McElwee | Oct. 19, 2012
The Knights of Columbus, the U.S. Catholic fraternal organization known for its wide-ranging charitable work and parish fish fries, has been a significant contributor to political efforts opposing same-sex marriage across the country, according to a study commissioned by a coalition of Catholic groups that support same-sex marriage.
“Since 2005, the Knights of Columbus has provided more than $15.8 million dollars toward [opposing same-sex marriage], providing $6.25 million directly to anti-marriage equality efforts,” says the report, released Thursday.
Earlier this year, a coalition called Equally Blessed commissioned a study of the Knights’ tax filings, annual statements and other public documents between 2005 and 2012. The result is a 37-page report, “The Strong Right Arm of the Bishops: The Knights of Columbus and Anti-Marriage Equality Funding.” …
The Equally Blessed group criticizes the Knights’ donations to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as “essentially untraceable.”
“Since the USCCB is part of the Catholic Church and does not have to report its charitable contributions, money given to the USCCB’s anti-marriage equality efforts is essentially untraceable unless it shows up in specific state-level reporting requirements,” the report states.
“This is especially important because it makes it difficult to ascertain how much the church has invested in influencing voters in Washington, Maryland, Maine and Minnesota, where marriage equality-related initiatives are on the ballot in November 2012,” the report says.
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