Monday, May 25, 2009

Catholic Church's nonprofit status challenged in Maine

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=539478

5/23/2009

Associated Press smallAUGUSTA, ME - A California-based homosexual-rights group has filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service challenging the tax-exempt status of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maine. The Empowering Spirits Foundation says that by engaging in political activity aimed at overturning Maine's new same-sex "marriage" law, the diocese is violating IRS rules for nonprofits.

A diocese spokesman says IRS policy allows the diocese to participate in the campaign to collect the more than 55,000 voter signatures needed to suspend the law and have voters decide its fate.

After Maine's Legislature passed the bill legalizing same-sex marriage and the governor signed it earlier this month, Bishop Richard Malone called it "a dangerous sociological experiment" and said the diocese would work with others to bring the issue to a vote in November.

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