This Victimpalooza could only come from the victimy-victims of the Catholic Church.

Four Washington State bishops, including Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, have issued an official statement to reject Referendum 74 on the fall ballot, thereby stopping a marriage equality law from taking effect this year. They've come out against gay marriage before, so they begin their latest statement by ticking through familiar reasons it's bad: Church teaching says marriage is the union of one man and one woman; "marriage is founded on sexual difference... and the procreation and rearing of children"; and same-sex marriage is "genderless contract without reference to children."

Of course, civil marriage law doesn't address "sexual differences" nor make "reference to children." But when it comes to the ol' bishops, hey, apparently everything makes 'em think about sex and kids!

Anyhow, here's the crazy part. The big reason they oppose this is because, they assert, allowing civil marriage with hurt the bishops. Here's an excerpt of the statement (.pdf):

In addition, the legal separation of marriage from procreation would have a chilling effect on religious liberty and the right of conscience. Once marriage is redefined as a genderless contract, it will become legally discriminatory for public and private institutions such as schools to promote the unique value of children being raised by their biological mothers and fathers. No institution or individual could propose that married mothers and fathers provide a singular benefit to children without being accused of discrimination. Recent attacks on churches, businesses and nonprofit organizations that express their conscientious objection to the redefinition of marriage underscore the danger. Those who uphold families based on the permanent, faithful relationship between a married man and woman as the best environment for raising children already have been accused of hate speech, and the right of religious institutions to freely practice their faith has been abridged.

Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. Flowing out of the holy water fountain, over the pulpit, down the aisle, and right out the vestibule doors—bullshit.

In fact, Referendum 74—which is the verbatim copy of a bill passed earlier this year by the state legislature—provides explicitly for these bishops and their frocked ilk. The text of R-74 says: "A regularly licensed or ordained minister or priest, imam, rabbi, or similar official of any religious organization shall be immune from any civil claim or cause of action based on a refusal to solemnize or recognize any marriage under this section." And it goes on: "No state agency or local government may base a decision to penalize, withhold benefits from, or refuse to contract with any religious organization on the refusal of a person associated with such religious organization to solemnize or recognize a marriage under this section.... No religious organization is required to provide accommodations, facilities, advantages, privileges, services, or goods related to the solemnization or celebration of a marriage."

So religious liberty isn't being chilled here. They won't have to perform ceremonies they don't want. No rentals they don't want. No government penalties. Being a Catholic will be as legal as it's always been. Rather, they seem to be upset that free speech—the freedom to call out their politics of intolerance—will also be as legal as it always has been, while discriminating against minorities will be as illegal as ever.