Australian bishops issue pastoral letter on marriage
June 14, 2012
In a pastoral letter to be released this weekend, the bishops of Sydney, Australia—led by Cardinal George Pell—warn against an arbitrary redefinition of marriage.
“Marriage is more than having one’s love for another legally recognised,” the pastoral letter notes. The bishops argue that society has traditionally recognized the vital importance of strong families, and thus given special status to marriage, while recognizing that the union of a man and woman is established by the natural law. The pastoral letter is obviously intended to help Catholics understand the Church's stand in the current debate over legal recognition of same-sex marriage.
Marriage: One Man and One Woman in a Covenant of Love and Life will be distributed to parishioners at Mass on Sunday, June 17. The pastoral letter is signed by Cardinal Pell and his auxiliary bishops: Julian Porteous, Terry Brady, and Peter Comensoli.
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