The U.S. Supreme Court decisions June 26 striking down part of the Defense of Marriage Act and refusing to rule on the merits of a challenge to California’s Proposition 8 mark a “tragic day for marriage and our nation,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage.
The statement follows.
“Today is a tragic day for marriage and our nation. The Supreme Court has dealt a profound injustice to the American people by striking down in part the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The Court got it wrong. The federal government ought to respect the truth that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, even where states fail to do so. The preservation of liberty and justice requires that all laws, federal and state, respect the truth, including the truth about marriage. It is also unfortunate that the Court did not take the opportunity to uphold California’s Proposition 8 but instead decided not to rule on the matter. The common good of all, especially our children, depends upon a society that strives to uphold the truth of marriage. Now is the time to redouble our efforts in witness to this truth. These decisions are part of a public debate of great consequence. The future of marriage and the well-being of our society hang in the balance.
“Marriage is the only institution that brings together a man and a woman for life, providing any child who comes from their union with the secure foundation of a mother and a father.
“Our culture has taken for granted for far too long what human nature, experience, common sense, and God’s wise design all confirm: the difference between a man and a woman matters, and the difference between a mom and a dad matters. While the culture has failed in many ways to be marriage-strengthening, this is no reason to give up. Now is the time to strengthen marriage, not redefine it.
“When Jesus taught about the meaning of marriage – the lifelong, exclusive union of husband and wife – he pointed back to “the beginning” of God’s creation of the human person as male and female (see Matthew 19). In the face of the customs and laws of his time, Jesus taught an unpopular truth that everyone could understand. The truth of marriage endures, and we will continue to boldly proclaim it with confidence and charity.
“Now that the Supreme Court has issued its decisions, with renewed purpose we call upon all of our leaders and the people of this good nation to stand steadfastly together in promoting and defending the unique meaning of marriage: one man, one woman, for life. We also ask for prayers as the Court’s decisions are reviewed and their implications further clarified.”
Editors: Background information can be found at http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/marriage/promotion-and-defense-of-marriage/backgrounder-on-proposition-8-and-doma.cfm
Keep speaking for the truth, Cardinal Dolan!
I am SO sick of your archaic bigotry. Take it back to the Vatican boys… you are no longer welcome in this country. We are SICK AND TIRED of your hatred wrapped in the loving words of Christ. You are NO longer relevant nor are you welcome here. LEAVE.
Californians, the Supreme Court did not rule on proposition 8 because Gov. Brown made up his own mind that the majority vote of California was unconstitutional and for that reason did not go to court to defend proposition 8 which was his sworn duty. The Supreme Court using the technicality that no one was defending proposition 8, refused to rule on it and in effect said that majority rule does not count and that the opinion of Gay Judge Walker and Gov. Brown is more important than the opinion of 7,000,000 Californian Voters. Both of them are wrong in several ways legally and morally. Both men used Amendment 14 as the basis for their opinion. Amendment 14 was enacted to assure that freed slaves would have the same rights as any one else. It has no legal standing to redefine marriage, which was defined by God, Nature,. and people before recorded history. There was no legal right to same sex marriage at the time when Gay Judge Walker and Gov. Brown rendered their opinions. Americans, these totalitarian actions by our Government Representatives and Judges is wide spread. There are only three states where the citizens approved same sex marriage by a narrow margin. New York, California and a few other states had same sex marriage forced on them. The media is biased in favor of same sex marriage and attempts to convince us that the majority of Americans are in favor of same sex marriage by reporting inaccurate opinion polls. The majority of Americans have not had a chance to vote on same sex marriage until now. Representative Tim Huelskamp has introduced a proposed constitutional amendment that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman that has already attracted over two dozen co-sponsors. We must take this opportunity to have our vote counted and respected by demanding that our Representatives become co- sponsors of this proposed amendment. We all realize that the passage of an amendment is a difficult task, but we can not abandon our obligation to help our children and society. Children should not be forced to grow up in an abnormal family being subjected to abnormality, confusion and discrimination. Children in normal families are being confused and discriminated against by some schools who are teaching them that a gay relationship is ok. This practice will spread to all schools eventually if we do not stop it. We can ask for help to pass this amendment by collecting signatures on petitions in or outside our churches and other permissible places. We can also support NOM@nationformarriage.org. We can also stop supporting biased media by not watching their news programs. I have stopped watching all news shown on the following networks: NBC,CBS,ABC and PBS and I will add more networks as I discover more biased reporting. .AMERICANS, We can improve OUR GOVERNMENT by dedicating one hour a week to politics and one dollar a week to organizations that are trying to improve OUR GOVERNMENT. OUR CHURCHES deserve more than a dollar a week if you can afford it because they are trying to improve us. AMERICANS, we have the power to do this WE can improve the WORLD.