Boston Gay Adoption Row Reveals Growing Gap Between Church, Society
Sunday, Mar. 19, 2006
Posted: 10:40:23AM EST

BOSTON (AP) – Massachusetts, one of the most Catholic states in the country, is witnessing an ever-widening rift between church and state on a raft of social issues, from gay marriage and abortion "buffer zones" to stem cell research and emergency contraception.

The schisms reveal the once mighty political clout of the Catholic Church in Massachusetts is in a state of flux. Large numbers of state lawmakers still identify themselves as Catholic but are picking and choosing when to side with the church, and when to break with it.

The recent decision of Catholic Charities, the Boston Archdiocese's social service agency, to end its century-old adoption program rather than comply with state law barring discrimination against gays is just the latest fissure.

Part of the church's declining clout may be the clash between its strict moral views and the messy business of politics, observers say. The rest