Bishops decry same-sex marriage rulings in Oregon, Pennsylvania
May 22, 2014
Striking down state laws that recognize marriage as the union of a man and a woman, federal judges have compelled Oregon and Pennsylvania to legalize same-sex marriage.
“We stand in solidarity with the Oregon and Pennsylvania Catholic Conferences and all the people of both states,” said Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage. “These court decisions are travesties of justice.”
“Children deserve a mother and a father, and marriage is the only institution that unites children to their own moms and dads,” he continued. “We need policies and laws that encourage strong, permanent and faithful marriages, and that help young people marry before having children.”
Archbishop Cordileone added:
The ruling in Oregon is another unfortunate example of a serious step backward, but no one is really surprised. As the Oregon Catholic Conference indicated, the state attorney general was derelict in her duties by refusing to defend a law she swore to uphold. Moreover, she even argued against the marriage amendment. Thus, no one defended the law in court. Is this justice, or just a farce?”
The Pennsylvania Attorney General was also derelict in her duties by refusing to defend the state’s marriage laws and making public comments against them. Fortunately, other state officials decided to defend the state’s marriage laws in federal court. However, the judge concluded his opinion by saying that it is time to take marriage laws like those under attack in Pennsylvania and “discard them into the ash heap of history.” This is a reckless and irresponsible statement. Marriage deserves better, our democracy deserves better, and our children deserve better.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
- USCCB Subcommittee Chairman Calls Decisions In Oregon And Pennsylvania Travesties Of Justice (USCCB)
- Statement of the Oregon Catholic Conference on marriage (Archdiocese of Portland)
- Statement on Today’s Marriage Ruling (Pennsylvania Catholic Conference)
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: frjpharrington3912 -
May. 22, 2014 7:19 PM ET USA
If Alexis de Tocqueville - 1805-1859 - were to return to these U.S. today he would, in refrence to this court decision, change the phrase "tyranny of the majority" to "tyranny of the minority." Though there may be no explicit reference to the definition of the nature of marriage in the US Constitution, the reasoning behind it reflect the influence of certain moral principles discerned from the natural law, hence the phrase "common law" which is the basis of most legislative law.
