Not only do they run your local parish bingo and dress up in flashy outfits—they also play right-wing politics.
On August 20, 2008, the Knights of Columbus donated $1 million to support California’s Proposition 8, which will appears on the 2008 ballot. If passed, it will amend the state constitution by adding the phrase: “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”
Proposition 8 was introduced by an organization titled Protectmarriage.com and is supported by various organizations and individuals, from the Catholic Bishops to John McCain and—apparently—the Knights of Columbus. According to a recent poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California, 54% of Californians oppose Proposition 8. However, with 6% still undecided, $1 million from a well-known Catholic organization could tip the scale.
$1 million is a relatively small sum compared to the total contributions that the Knights of Columbus made to various “charities” last year—which totaled $143,816,004. Nevertheless, it was an important statement from the world’s largest Catholic fraternal society, founded in New Haven, Connecticut back in 1881. There are now over 13,000 councils and 1.7 million members throughout the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Poland, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Guatemala, Guam and Spain.
In a press release about the $1 million donation, spokesperson Patrick Korten stated:
“From the day we were founded 126 years ago, strengthening and protecting the family has always been central to the mission of the Knights of Columbus. Preserving marriage as the indispensable institution in which children are conceived, born and raised to adulthood by a loving father and mother is vital to a healthy society. It is also the most favorable environment in which to protect the rights and best interests of children. We are proud to join the Catholic bishops and priests of California, and so many other people of good will, in this effort, on which so much depends.”
The website reports that the Knights of Columbus are often called the “strong right arm of the Church.” Certainly very few would call them the strong left arm.
