Civil Liberties

Former Catholic Priests to Endorse Gay Marriage in Washington State

63 of them to speak out on Thursday

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Sixty-three former Roman Catholic priests in Washington state will announce on Thursday that they support Referendum 74, which would make Washington the nation's seventh state to legalize marriage between same-sex couples.

The stand comes as the state's four Catholic bishops intensify a campaign of pastoral statements and videos urging parishoners to vote against marriage equality.

In the latest pastoral letter,  Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of the Diocese of Yakima told his 41 parishes that Referendum 74 "jeopardizes freedom rather than expands it" and "endangers our religious liberty and the rights of conscience."