WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- Roman Catholic leaders and evangelical Protestants, joined by other religious groups, are pushing to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
As a kickoff, the group signed a petition in support of an amendment, The New York Times reported. Those who added their names included seven Catholic cardinals, a number of archbishops, some Orthodox Jewish rabbis and at least one official of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
One Catholic group -- the Knights of Columbus -- plans to distribute 10 million postcards at Catholic churches for congregants to send to their congressional representatives.
"The personal involvement of bishops and cardinals is significantly greater this time than in 2004," said Patrick Korten, a spokesman for the lay Catholic group.
In 2004, proposed amendments to state constitutions on homosexual marriage helped bring out conservative voters and may have contributed to President George W. Bush's victory over Sen.. John Kerry.
But some political observers say that the public attitude toward the issue has shifted with a recent poll finding 51 percent of respondents opposed, compared to 63 percent in 2004.
