The Washington DC city councilmembers were very brave approving gay marriage yesterday. They knew they'd piss off a lot of conservatives, and also force at least one religious institution to give up their charitable efforts.

Before the vote, the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington D.C. declared that it would be "forced" to abandon its taxpayer-funded adoption and homeless programs if marriage legislation went through, because it would make the church treat same-sex couples the same way they treat opposite-sex couples. Which, of course, would be a betrayal of everything Jesus stood for.

Sadly, the ultimatum didn't work. It just pissed off the councilmembers, who said they wouldn't give into its demands. They approved gay marriage, and today Archdiocese spokeswoman Susan Gibbs read this statement:

The Archdiocese of Washington and Catholic Charities are deeply committed to serving those in need, regardless of race, creed, gender, ethnic origin or sexual orientation. This commitment is integral to our Catholic faith and will remain unchanged into the future.
Wait: what? "Unchanged"? You mean you guys were lying to us?

Well, get ready for the hoohaw! Shit is going to hit fans! The right-wing media is going to have a field day, jumping on the Catholics like they jumped on Alec Baldwin when he said he'd move to Europe if Bush was elected president.

As for Susan Gibbs, I'm guessing she'd probably in confession right now.

Just as an aside, Sue, you don't actually get extra Jesus points if you agree to sit on the priest's lap.