A group of African-American clergy and
conservative Catholics said Wednesday that lawmakers who vote for a
gay marriage bill will be banned from their churches.
“We want to make sure that we send a
message to our elected officials that as a collective community and a
collaborative, we will not allow you to speak in our churches, you
will not be invited to our church when you're running for office
because we as a community are incensed,” said Bishop Kwame Lance
Davis, senior pastor at New
Zion Christian Fellowship Covenant Church in Dolton.
Davis made the threat in connection
with the announcement of a new religious coalition headed by the
Catholic Conference of Illinois opposed to the proposed bill which
would make Illinois the 10th state to legalize marriage
equality.
According to Chicago's WBEZ,
the coalition is planning a media campaign aimed at derailing the
measure.
After passage in the Illinois Senate,
the marriage bill awaits action in the House.
(Related: Majority
of Catholics support gay marriage.)