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Connecticut Changes Course, Withdraws Church Interference Legislation |
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Sometimes reason prevails. Even at the expense of good intentions. Connecticut lawmakers have withdrawn a bill from consideration that would have governed the way Catholic parish finances are monitored. An outcry from church-state experts and others argued the measure was an improper intrusion of the state into matters of the church.
The bill would have created lay councils of seven to 13 people to oversee the finances of local parishes, relegating Catholic pastors and bishops to an advisory role. It was pulled Tuesday by the co-chairmen of the legislature's influential judiciary committee amid questions about its constitutionality.
Church leaders bristled at government interference, which they and many legal scholars view as unconstitutional. They also firmly rejected the notion that parishioners have no say in the affairs of their church. Government oversight into church finances, as tax-exempt entities is a highly contentious issue with strong arguments on both sides. But to dictate the corporate governing structure of a denominational body in this way clearly going too far. Fortunately, that message got through before the bill was passed, and a legal challenge necessary.
You can read the proposed legislation here. And a letter from constitutional experts urging against the bill here (pdf). (Thanks to Professor Douglas Laycock for posting these items online.) |
