Banned from church for getting married?

Below is an email from Michael Sherrard of the organization Faithful America, who created a petition on SignOn.org, the nonprofit site that allows anyone to start their own online petition. If you have concerns or feedback about this petition, click here.

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Dear Inwood MoveOn member,

Imagine returning from your honeymoon only to be called into your pastor's office and told that you've been banned from volunteering in church ministries, simply because you got married.

Nicholas Coppola is a member of St. Antony's Roman Catholic Church in Oceanside, New York, where he used to lead religious education classes, serve as a lector, and visit homebound parishioners. Nicholas is gay and has been out to everyone at church for years. A number of parishioners even attended his wedding.

But after Nicholas got married, someone sent an ugly anonymous note to the bishop, and suddenly he was banned from volunteering at church.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops claims they're not anti-gay. Just this week, their spokeswoman wrote: "No one is carded at a Catholic church. Shunning is not the Catholic tradition." Now Nicholas Coppola's bishop has an opportunity to prove it.

That's why I created a petition on SignOn.org to the Most Reverend William Murphy, Bishop of Rockville Centre, which says:

Bishop Murphy, please let Nicholas Coppola resume volunteering at his parish—and make it clear that faithful gay and lesbian Catholics are welcome to participate fully in parish life in your diocese.

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks!

–Michael Sherrard

This petition was created on SignOn.org, the progressive, nonprofit petition site. SignOn.org is sponsored by MoveOn Civic Action, which is not responsible for the contents of this or other petitions posted on the site. Faithful America didn't pay us to send this email—we never rent or sell the MoveOn.org list.

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This email was sent to eddie alfaro on April 9, 2013. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.