Here’s the statement from Bishop William E. Lori from the Diocese of Bridgeport Diocese website concerning the state of Connecticut’s attempt to silence the Church by labeling it as lobbying organization:

I wish to thank our parishioners and other citizens for their support of our federal civil rights lawsuit against officials of the Office of State Ethics.

We believe firmly that it is unconstitutional to apply the state lobbying statute to our Diocese for having exercised its constitutional rights by participating in a rally at the State Capitol and posting information on its website, to protest an unconstitutional attempt by the State to reorganize our Church.

We are pursuing this matter through the judicial system.

At the same time, we deplore and condemn hateful language and advocacy of violence of any kind. Such speech is contrary to the civil and respectful discourse that reflects the Christian values we hold so dear.

We further denounce any individuals or groups who might try to exploit this matter for their own separate agendas.

Fundamental constitutional rights include the responsibility to express our views in a civil and lawful manner.

We thank our supporters for their thoughts and prayers as we move forward.

In this video Bishop Lori explains the actions of the Diocese.