Tim Kaine: Catholic Church Will Change Same-Sex Marriage Stance-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Tim Kaine said during a speech before the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) that the Catholic Church will change its stance on same-sex marriage or will be banned from the U.S.
The Truth:
Tim Kaine didn’t vow to ban the Catholic Church from the United States if it doesn’t change it’s position on same-sex marriage.
The rumor was started by The Rightist, a fake news website with a conservative slant, that ran a story under the headline “The Catholic Church Will Change Its Same-Sex Marriage Stance Or It Will Be Banned from the U.S.” that reports:
Democratic U.S. vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine announced Saturday that he believes the Catholic Church will change its position on same-sex marriage. The Virginia senator said that just like he had changed his opinion on the issue, the Catholic Church is also likely to follow suit. Speaking at the 20th Annual Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner in Washington, the Roman Catholic senator reportedly said, “I think it’s going to change because my church also teaches me about a creator who, in the first chapter of Genesis, surveyed the entire world, including mankind, and said, ‘It is very good.’”
“And besides,” he continued, “we are talking here about a country that was based and founded on democracy as a core value. By definition, that means that every single person and every single citizen is able – no, scratch that – encouraged to practice his civil, religious, and above all, sexual liberties to the best of their abilities. And I’m sorry that some people don’t like it, but to deny same-sex marriage in a country that should be the first one to accept it is just pointless. And the Catholic Church should also be accepting it instead of condemning it, which is what it’s doing right now.”
The Rightist describes itself as “a HYBRID site of news and satire” that publishes reader-generated articles.
In reality, Kaine gave the keynote address at the HRC National Dinner in September 2016, but he didn’t make any mention of the Catholic Church or its stance on same-sex marriage. You can watch an entire video of Kaine’s speech here.