"Bologna"

Bishop Morlino Honored By Civil Rights Group
Bishop Was Vocal Supporter Of Marriage Amendment
POSTED: 6:32 pm CST December 8, 2006

MADISON, Wis. -- Bishop Robert Morlino received a lifetime achievement award from a major civil rights group on Friday, but the award has struck a nerve with another minority community. The Congress of Racial Equality honored Morlino for his vocal support of the state's controversial marriage amendment. Leaders of Madison's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community called the award a "disappointment."

Morlino's critics have questioned his campaign tactics, which included requiring all diocesan churches to play a recording by Morlino during which he described arguments against the amendments as "bologna."

A spokesman for CORE said Morlino deserved the honor because he has been a "stalwart" defender of traditional family values.

"When you say to society at large that you have to accept, not only accept our lifestyle, but promote it and put it on the same plane and equate it with traditional marriage, that's where we draw the line and we say 'no.' That's not something that is a civil right. That is not something that is a human right," said Niger Innis, national spokesman for CORE.

But leaders of the LGBT community said they are saddened by the decision to honor Morlino, adding that it is ironic a civil rights group would support a ban on same-sex marriage.

"An organization that espouses civil liberties and civil rights, and here they are honoring an individual who worked to keep civil rights and civil liberties from a group of people," said Nikki Baumblatt, development director for Outreach.

Previous recipients of CORE's lifetime achievement award include the artist Usher and former Secretary of State James Baker. Innis said CORE has branched out in the years since the civil rights movement and that the group spends much of its time championing traditional family values.