Reuters reports lawmakers killed bill 1098 that would have taken financial oversight of Connecticut’s Catholic churches away from priests and bishops, handing that power to lay officials. Thousands of Catholics demonstrated on Wednesday against the proposal, opposing what they called a threat to the separation of church and state.

“Religious freedom holds a privileged place in American society,” said the Rev. Richard Ryscavage, who runs Fairfield University’s Center for Faith and Public Life. “You tamper with that religious freedom at your own political peril.” Critics, including the state’s governor, said it would set a dangerous precedent by violating the separation of church and state enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.