Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Springfield Diocesewho, last November, held a mass exorcism that coincided with gay marriage being signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinnhas compared supporters of same-sex marriage to children in need of punishment by their parents, Rawstory.com reported.
In an interview posted Jan. 27 on LifesiteNews.com, a website containing primarily anti-abortion content, Paprocki also said that gay marriage emanated from a "lie" but that his opposition was intended as a loving gesture.
"You have to understand what love is all about," Paprocki said. "Love is really to seek the best for people, and by being opposed to the redefinition of marriage, and being opposed to the things that are sinfulthat's actually a very loving thing."
He added, "Perhaps it's the permissiveness of our society, that when you don't give someone something they want, you're being hateful, but any good parent will tell you that sometimes you have to disappoint your child. Sometimes you have to say 'no' and sometimes you have to punish. When a parent does these things, they're not being hateful to they're children, they're showing them the loving way of doing things."
He also explained that the ritual in November was a "minor exorcism," comparable to an exorcism that would be performed at a child's baptism.
Paprocki said that he has received support from both Catholics and non-Catholics "who believe in the proper understanding of marriage and in God's divine plan." He characterized his opposition as coming from "secular media" and politicians pushing a "stridently secular agenda."
He denounced much of what's reported in the media as "a lot of lies, [and] dishonest things being saidfor example, the claim that children being brought up in homes with same-sex couples have no adverse effects. There are statistics and studies that show that's simply not the case. The whole idea that two people who love each other and should be able to get married, even if they are the same sexthat's basically a lie."
Paprocki added that he was going to continue his struggle. "We are facing a lot of untruths out there. We just have to be persistent and courageous, and stand up to that."
Paprocki's interview was recorded last week at the March for Life in Washington D.C.
Data released in October from a Quinnipiac University poll suggested that 60 percent of U.S. Catholics support same-sex marriage, while 31 percent are opposed.