US bishops: Homosexual relationships should not be part of immigrant family reunification law
June 03, 2009
Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the Committee on Migration of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, is opposing a House bill (HR 6638) that includes the Uniting American Families Act, which “would erode the institution of marriage and family by according marriage-like immigration benefits to same sex relationships, a position that is contrary to the very nature of marriage which pre-dates the Church and the state.”
Instead, the bishops’ conference is supporting the Senate version of the Reuniting American Families Act (S. 1085). Bishop Wester writes:
S. 1085 would improve the family-based immigration system by removing the annual cap on the number of visas which allow immediate family members to reunite with legal permanent residents. It is extremely important that barriers that keep the nuclear family—husband, wife, and child—divided are removed as soon as possible. The legislation achieves this goal while preserving the ability of other close family members, including siblings of United States citizens, to reunite with their loved ones and without eroding the institution of marriage and family.
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