"hardly being establishment ,or a tool of such, since it is the established govt that championed the redefinition of marriage."
That harking back to the time "were they were the Establishment" or else held it in their pockets.
The reason Catholic countries in particular are still fighting fo sexual rights is that, in many of these places, the word of the church is the law.
It's only since their grip was loosed, thanks to their track record being exposed, that some of them have taken a giant step into - well.... the twentieth century at least.
Following the magnificent victory in the same-sex referendum, the Bishop of Dublin grudgingly described the result as "a wake-up call for the church".
The right wing of the church are still snoozing away in their bedc.
Jim Carroll