In a Valentine's Day gift to same-sex couples in Illinois, the state's Senate approved a bill to lift a ban on gay marriage today. According to the Associated Press [1], "Senators voted 34-21 to approve the measure, sending it on to the state House where Democrats also hold a majority. Gov. Pat Quinn, a Chicago Democrat, has said he will sign the bill if the House approves it."

Cardinal Francis George of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the six other Illinois bishops had issued a letter to Catholics in January [2] encouraging them to contact their state legislators. Perhaps they did--but didn't share the hierarchy's view on the issue.