Diocese of Trenton vs. Vatican?
By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Jul 31, 2003
"The Vatican is opposed to extending the marriage rites to gay and lesbian couples, and obviously our diocese is in line with that position. If it's a civil marriage it's more or less not the business of the Church." Thus Steven Emery, a spokesman for the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey.
Wrong, Steven. The Vatican's new statement makes it clear, beyond any possibility of mistaking, that Catholics have a moral responsibility to resist the legal recognition of same-sex unions.
Complacent Catholics might be reassured to know that the Catholic Church in Trenton won't actually arrange wedding ceremonies for homosexual couples. Serious Catholics will want to know why the diocese is saddled with a public spokesman who either doesn't understand the plain English of the Vatican statement, or chooses to distort the truth.
Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.
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