When Bishop Leonard Blair of the Toledo Catholic Diocese distributed a letter opposing Toledo's "domestic partnership ordinance," I thought it would have prompted Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner to veto the bill that had been approved by city council 10-2.
But Carty went ahead and signed the ordinance into law the day before Thanksgiving. He said he is "a strong Christian" but also a supporter of minority rights.
The law does not make any significant changes, but gives legal recognition to non-married couples, including same-sex couples, living in the same residence. That enables them in some cases to receive benefits from employers.
What's interesting to me is that the bishop's strident opposition had no impact on the bill. With my journalist hat on, I am not going to interject my opinion on the merits of this ordinance. It is too controversial, and anything I say will only rile up someone or other.
Bishop Blair and other Ohio Catholic bishops successfully lobbied against Ohio Senate Bill 17's provision for a one-year "look-back" window lifting the statute of limitation on child sex abuse cases.
But this time the local politicians essentially ignored the bishop's request to delay action on the domestic partnership registry and just rolled right along as if nobody had said a word against it.
What I'm wondering is whether this is an indication that politicians are not that concerned anymore about the opinions of religious leaders.
Is this another example of the "secularization" of America? (I realize that's a broad generalization of a question.)
The same issue arises with Mitt Romney's run for the presidency. His membership in the Mormon church would have been a major liability a few years ago but I've seen some evangelical Christian leaders endorsing his candidacy, saying that Romney is a man of principle and character, a proven leader, and that his personal religious beliefs are not an issue.
This country and this city seem to be going through a time of transition when it comes to religion and politics. It will be interesting to see how things continue to develop along these lines as the 2008 presidential election gets closer.
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Meanwhile, on the Carty Finkbeiner front, our esteemed mayor's been in London this week leading an effort to get Toledo named the most liveable city on the planet. We didn't get first place but Toledo did come in third, not bad for a rusty little midwestern town. Carty deserves credit for his tireless efforts to promote Toledo. He is truly the city's No. 1 cheerleader.
Toledo, Ohio
November 27, 2008