As of June 1, residents of the Land of Lincoln are free to enter into civil unions, which allow same-sex couples to enjoy the benefits, protections, and responsibilities under Illinois law that are granted to spouses.  According to the richly appointed homosexual-rights movement that lavished funds and exerted pressure upon the politicians who passed the legislation, this is a precursor to a law instituting “gay marriage”—as it has been in other Blue States, where it’s easier to legislate ideology than to fix practical matters.

Last December the bill that made it possible—the incongruously named Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act—was passed by a lame-duck legislature controlled by Democrats purporting to be Catholic.  Another self-professed Catholic, Gov. Pat Quinn, signed it into law despite the ineffectual urgings of such Church leaders as Chicago’s Francis Cardinal George.  Governor Quinn, you see, has a lot of moral qualms—he believes in a lot of things passionately—but not when it comes to disobeying his self-formed conscience.  Obeying Church authority would have meant rejecting a mint of moolah from anti-Church groups like the gay-rights lobbyists backing the bill and the $428,000 he took from a radically pro-abortion group during the last election.

The very day after this civil-unions law took effect, Governor Quinn and newly elected Mayor Rahm Emanuel attended a ceremony in Chicago’s Millennium Park, where 33 couples said their vows under the new law.

“All of us in the Land of Lincoln can celebrate,” rejoiced Governor Quinn.  “We believe everybody’s in and nobody’s left out in our state.  Everybody is important.  There’s [sic] all kinds of families in Illinois, but we are the family of Illinois, and we understand and love one another.  We understand that it is very, very important to have civil rights and civil unions.  And that’s why we’re here today.”

Then the divorced governor offered some biblical encouragement from the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians: “For those coming together in a civil union on this special day, I just have to say one thing: ‘Love is patient, love is kind, love never fails.’”  How sweet.  But it would have been impolitic to cite an earlier passage in that same book (6:9-11).

Mayor Emanuel, who presided over the union of one of his top aides and his partner, proclaimed, “Looking out to everybody here, I think I can say this as a veteran of marriage, it [has] been a long journey here and to all those who are about to get married and join in civil union you have a fruitful journey going forward.  You have our blessings.”

Despite all the lovey-dovey talk about sexually transgressive arrangements being for the sole benefit of the partners engaged in civil unions, the new law is anything but tolerant—precisely the plan of the homosexual activists sliding dollars down the pants of politicians who, being morally untrained and ethically challenged, are a cheap date.

The new law will force those Illinois Catholic Charities associated with individual dioceses to facilitate adoption and foster-care arrangements with homosexual couples who, because they are in civil unions, are protected against discrimination.  (Like other contractors for the state, Catholic Charities takes state money to provide such services, though at a 20-percent loss covered by donations and volunteers.)  Three of the five dioceses that perform such services as adjuncts of the state have filed a lawsuit against Illinois; the other two have announced that they will no longer offer adoption services.  Represented by Chicago’s Thomas More Society, a nonprofit public-interest law firm, they argue that making them change their status quo—i.e., denying but referring homosexual couples to other agencies contracted with the state—breaks existing state law protecting religious freedom.  Going to the judicial system to redress laws so obviously malleable, however, might suggest that this is an opportune time for Catholic Charities forever to spurn the milk of Mother State.

This should serve as overdue counsel to Catholic Charities to return to the roots of Catholic charity, which relies upon the support of concerned individuals and begins at the most local level possible to solve any problem.  But it is probably pointless counsel: Catholic Charities nationwide receives two thirds of its budget from government sources.  It’s hard to kiss away about one billion dollars per year.  Becoming an ancillary of the welfare state and drinking the king’s wine means singing the king’s song unless you want to get cut off and tossed out the gates.  Catholic Charities could profit from this situation, rediscovering the principle of subsidiarity and cultivating local means to provide helpful human services without Uncle Sam’s or Father Abraham’s dirty strings attached.