CathNews New Zealand

New York Bishop of Brooklyn Nicholas DiMarzio has signalled a new era in Church-State relations by calling for sanctions consequent to the gay marriage bill passing.

DiMarzio has called on members of his diocese “to not bestow or accept honours, nor extend a platform of any kind to any state-elected official in all the parishes and schools for the forseeable future.

“Republicans and Democrats equally share responsibility for this ruinous legislation and we as Catholic should hold all accountable for their actions,” he said.

While the vote did not surprise him, also steadfast in his opposition to same-sex marriages is Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

Saying he felt a bit down after the passing of the gay marriage bill Dolan said, “I think society and culture is at its peril if we presume to tamper with what has been given and already cherished through the history of civilization,” Dolan said after services at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in midtown.

Dolan spoke compassionately to the gay community saying: “I love you very much. If anything I ever said or did would lead you to believe that I have anything less than love and respect for you, I apologize.”

However a senior adviser to the Vatican and theology professor in Detroit blasted the Catholic governor of New York for his strong stand on gay marriage.

Professor Edward Peters of Sacred Heart Major Seminary said Cuomo should be punished for his “brazen” violation of Catholicism by being denied Holy Communion.

He’s also calling for the Catholic Church to investigate Cuomo for violating Church law, calling the politician’s action a “danger” for faithful Catholics.

“I see no way, absent a public reversal of his public conduct, that Andrew Cuomo may present himself for holy Communion,” Peters wrote Sunday on his blog. And, “I see no way that a minister of holy Communion may administer the sacrament to him.”

Retailers, however, are reportedly heading for a windfall. Wedding chapels, caterers, hotels, florists and banquet halls are all likely to benefit, experts say.

“This could be a real windfall for stores to take advantage of. The gay population in metropolitan New York is as affluent as you get,” said David Wolfe, creative director at The Doneger Group Inc., which advises the retail industry.

Weddings are big business. The average cost of a US wedding is $26,500 – part of an $84 billion nationwide market, according to Conde Nast publishing’s bridal group.

Sources

• Washington Post
• NY Daily News
• Detroit Free Press
• NZ Herald