Cardinal Wuerl: "Truth is Never Discrimination"

On his blog Seek First the Kingdom, Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington wrote on August 19, “Of the Catholic Church’s many teachings, perhaps some of the most challenging for people in today’s culture involve human sexuality, including homosexuality. As state after state considers changing its laws on the definition of marriage, all of us have had to think about the nature of love, the meaning of marriage and the teaching of the Gospel.”

The Cardinal goes on to describe the current cultural climate as one where describing marriage as “inherently something between a man and a woman only” is now considered discrimination, bigotry, or even hate speech.

For example, he says, “In the debate over the nature of marriage, even the White House chose to use words like ‘discrimination’ to describe the position of people of good faith who simply disagree with the President’s stance.” And in states where the legal definition of marriage has been challenged in the legislature and/or the courts, “words like ‘bigotry,’ ‘discrimination’ and ‘hatred’ have been bandied about with nothing more to support them than the actual fact that some people think that the definition of marriage really and truly is between a man and a woman.”

The proclivity to label those with whom one disagrees about marriage as “haters” or “bigots,” laments the Cardinal, stifles our ability to genuinely discuss an issue crucial to our society. “Too often the people who claim to be able to read the minds of other people and thus can denounce them as bigots are prepared to say in the next breath not only are your opinions not welcome, but neither are you any longer.”

Read the rest here: “Truth is Never Discrimination”

Pope Francis to Knights of Columbus: Keep bearing witness to marriage and the family

The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal and charitable organization of men, held their 131st Supreme Convention from August 6 to 8 in San Antonio, Texas.  In a letter written on behalf of Pope Francis, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone wrote to the Knights, “His Holiness…asked me to convey his warm greetings to all in attendance, together with the assurance of his closeness in prayer.”

In the letter, Cardinal Bertone said, “Conscious of the specific responsibility which the lay faithful have for the Church’s mission, [Pope Francis] invites each Knight, and every Council, to bear witness to the authentic nature of marriage and the family, the sanctity and inviolable dignity of human life, and the beauty and truth of human sexuality. In this time of rapid social and cultural changes, the protection of God’s gifts cannot fail to include the affirmation and defense of the great patrimony of moral truths taught by the Gospel and confirmed by right reason, which serve as the bedrock of a just and well-ordered society” (emphasis added).