The bishop made it very clear soon after arriving in Maine that the church would not provide a forum for legislators who hold views contrary to the church's. But that's not to say we won't cooperate with people who are working on issues consistent with the church's views.

In our judgment, it is not in the interest of the common good.

There's nothing that would restrict a city from allocating funds to a church or synagogue that faces a grave danger or risk. We have always said we have felt this was redundant and unnecessary.

We completely respect people's right to worship. However, we are very concerned that the church hierarchy has made taking away marriage equality _ and replacing it with nothing else _ such a high priority.

God wants to save us in a people. He does not want to save us in isolation. And so today's church more than ever is accentuating the idea of being a people. The church therefore experiences conflicts, because it does not want a mass; it wants a people. A mass is a heap of persons, the drowsier the better, the more compliant the better. The church rejects communism's slander that it is the opium of the people. It has no intention of being the people's opium. Those that create drowsy masses are others. The church wants to rouse men and women to the true meaning of being a people. What is a people? A people is a community of persons where all cooperate for the common good.

The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool.