In August 2010, Paul Haggis wrote a letter resigning from the Church of Scientology allegedly over the fact that someone from one of its Churches publicly supported Proposition 8. But what is hypocritical is the fact that Haggis was raised a Catholic and is the driving force behind raising financial support for a Catholic priest in Haiti. Yet the Catholic Church is the largest and most vocal religious body in the world against gay marriages and homosexual behavior. The Catholic Church issued the following statement concerning Prop 8 without a peep from Haggis. Saturday, 17 January 2009 A Statement of the Catholic Bishops of California in Support of Proposition 8 "Only the rock of complete and irrevocable love between man and woman is capable of acting as a foundation for a society that can be home to all human beings." - Pope Benedict XVI, addressing the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family, May 11, 2006 The issue before us with Proposition 8 is "marriage"—an ancient, yet modern, human institution which pre-exists both Church and government. Marriage, history shows us, is intrinsic to stable, flourishing and hospitable societies. Although cultural differences have occurred, what has never changed is that marriage is the ideal relationship between a man and a woman for the purpose of procreation and the continuation of the human race. With all this in mind, we, as bishops, offer counsel to our Catholic people in California in their response to this radical change in California's public policy regarding marriage. First, same-sex unions are not the same as opposite-sex unions. Second, we need to recall that marriage mirrors God's relationship with us-and that marriage completes, enriches and perpetuates humanity. Third, we need to remember that we are all children of God possessed of human dignity and that each of us is created in God's image. Fourth, we must pray and work for a just resolution of this issue which is so important to the well being of the human family. Fifth, as citizens of California, we need to avail ourselves of the opportunity to overturn this ruling by the California Supreme Court. And finally, we strongly encourage Catholics to provide both the financial support and the volunteer efforts needed for the passage of Proposition 8. And—please exercise your citizenship and vote in November. Maybe the resignation letter that Haggis wrote in August 2010 should have been sent to head of the Catholic Church. It would have read like this: Pope Benedict XVI, As you know, for ten months now I have been writing to ask you to make a public statement denouncing the actions of the Church. Their public sponsorship of Proposition 8, which succeeded in taking away the civil rights of gay and lesbian citizens of California - rights that were granted them by the Supreme Court of our state - is a stain on the integrity of our organization and a stain on us personally. Our public association with that hate filled legislation shames us. I called and wrote and implored you, as the official spokesman of the church, to condemn their actions. In our early phone conversations I told you that whoever used our name to associate us with this kind of bigotry had no place in an organization that preached against human rights abuses. I told you I could not, in good conscience, be a member of an organization where gay-bashing was tolerated. You assured me you would put this right immediately. I told you that this could not be swept under the carpet but must be dealt with publicly - just as the Catholic Church’s statement of support for Prop 8 last year was public, and may well have influenced the votes of the thousands of Catholics living in California. I felt strongly about this for a number of reasons. One is that you and I both know there has been a hidden anti-gay sentiment in the Catholic Church for a long time. I have been shocked on too many occasions to hear Catholics make derogatory remarks about gay people, and then quote the bible in their defense. While I confronted these people on every occasion, it did not seem to make much of a dent. The church’s refusal to denounce the actions of these bigots, hypocrites and homophobes is cowardly. I can think of no other word. Silence is consent, Benedict. I refuse to consent. You allowed our name to be allied with the worst elements of the Christian Right. In order to contain a potential “PR flap” you allowed our sponsorship of Proposition 8 to stand. Despite all the church’s words about promoting freedom and human rights, our name is now solidly in the public record alongside those who promote bigotry and intolerance, homophobia and fear. The fact that the Mormon Church drew all the fire, that no one noticed our role in it, doesn’t matter. I noticed. And I felt sick. I wondered how the church could, in good conscience, through the action of a few and then the inaction of our leadership, support a bill th