The U.S. Catholic bishops have joined other American religious
leaders in signing an open letter reaffirming their commitment to the
protection of marriage as “the permanent and faithful union of one man
and one woman.”
“As religious leaders across different faith communities, we join
together and affirm our shared commitment to promote and protect
marriage as the union of one man and one woman,” the Dec. 6 letter
notes.
“We honor the unique love between husbands and wives; the
indispensible place of fathers and mothers; and the corresponding rights
and dignity of all children.”
The letter, titled “The Protection of Marriage: A Shared Commitment,”
notes that marriage is fundamental not just to the well-being of
religious communities but to the well-being of “all of society.”
Marriage is a “great good” in itself and serves the good of society in
“innumerable ways,” the leaders say.
“The preservation of the unique meaning of marriage is not a special
or limited interest but serves the good of all. Therefore, we invite and
encourage all people, both within and beyond our faith communities, to
stand with us in promoting and protecting marriage as the union of one
man and one woman,” the letter concludes.
The letter was released on the same day that oral arguments on the
Proposition 8 federal lawsuit were set to begin.
In August, Judge Vaughn
Walker ruled the California ballot measure to be unconstitutional,
claiming that the definition of marriage as a union of a man and a woman
lacked any rational basis and reflected religious-based hostility to
homosexuals.
“Today is the moment to stand for marriage and its unchangeable
meaning. We hope this letter will encourage just that,” commented
Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) and a signatory to the letter.
He said the letter reflects a “broad consensus” across religious divides.
“The law of marriage is not about imposing the religion of anyone,
but about protecting the common good of everyone,” he explained.
The
legal recognition of marriage as a union of a man and a woman reinforces
“the foundational cell of human society.”
Other signatories to the letter were Leith Anderson, president of the
National Association of Evangelicals; Dr. Richard Land, president of
the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission; Nathan
Diament, director of the Institute for Public Affairs for the Union of
Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America; Presiding Bishop David Burton
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Rev. Samuel
Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership
Conference; and Metropolitan Jonah of the Orthodox Church in America.
Signatories also included Lutheran, Pentecostal, and Methodist
leaders as well as the secretary general of the World Sikh Council’s
America Region, Manmohan Singh.
Downloadable copies of the letter are available at the USCCB website at www.usccb.org/defenseofmarriage/shared-commitment.
SIC: CNA/INT'L