Atheists Sue Catholic Church

Charging that the Catholic Church should lose its tax-exempt status, a consortium of atheists and Catholic activists filed two lawsuits against Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, Assemblymember Vito Lopez (D-Williamsburg) and the Catholic Diocese over their role in producing a recorded message sent to Williamsburg’s registered voters less than a week before they went to the polls.

Led by NYC Atheists President Kenneth Bronstein and New Jersey-based priest abuse activist Reverend Robert Hoatson, the suits allege that DiMarzio violated Internal Revenue Service laws by recording a political message sent to voters in a hotly contested City Council election, which could cost the Church privileges enjoyed by its nonprofit status.

“This is the first step to accomplish what we want to accomplish: get the Church out of politics,” said John Aretakis, a spokesperson for the group.

The lawsuit arises from reaction to a series of pre-recorded messages that Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio made on October 28, to voters in the city’s 34th Council District, thanking Lopez for his work advocating for the Catholic Church during the past year and urging voters to support his choices in the election.
[...more...]

Related News Articles Topic(s): Atheism • Catholic Church • Church and State Related Tags / Keywords: Atheism • Catholic Church Read Another Religion News Article Latest headlines: RNB Homepage RNB Quick Takes: Religion News in Brief Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Subscribe only to this topic: Atheism, Catholic Church, Church and State Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults Find Related Books Atheism Most Popular RNB Articles Today Televangelists Benny Hinn and Paula White deny affair Tyke, 3, raised as shady guru’s ’son’ A Polygamist’s Victory: Will Texas Have Better Luck with Warren Jeffs? Utah court tosses FLDS cult leader Warren Jeffs’ conviction Supreme Court: FLDS cult leader Warren Jeffs gets new trial Pastor in Russian Republic of Dagestan Killed Texas, feds wait turns in polygamist cult leader cases Jury to decide if John Allen Rubio will get death in beheadings

---

Religion Search Engines:   • Religion News    • Christian Apologetics Search    • Counter Cult Search

---

Search Religion News Blog

More Religion Search Engines:

Counter Cult Search: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.

Apologetics Search: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.