ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota’s Roman Catholic bishops are urging churchgoers to donate money for television ads in support of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

According to reports, a letter will go to more than 400,000 Catholic households in Minnesota.

The state’s Catholics dioceses have financially backed the campaign for the amendment, but this is the first direct plea for donations to Minnesota for Marriage. That’s the group chief group campaigning for the amendment.

Bishops have been encouraging Catholics to vote yes on the amendment on the November ballot. But there is visible dissent among the state’s Catholics.

A group called Catholics for Marriage Equality has handed out more than 1,000 yard signs that read, “Another Catholic voting no.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)