Roman Catholic bishops say they are
disappointed with a string of gay marriage wins on Election Day.
After leading the charge against
marriage equality in 2008, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (the Mormons) has slowly divested itself from the fight,
perhaps out of deference to GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who
practices the faith.
The financial burden was shifted to the
Catholic Church, whose leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI, have
become increasingly outspoken on the issue.
The church also created a website to
spread their message. Marriage: Unique for a Reason is sponsored by
the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is helmed by
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, an ardent opponent of marriage
rights for gay couples.
On November 6, three states legalized
gay nuptials at the ballot box – Maine, Washington state and
Maryland – and Minnesotans rejected an effort to ban it through a
constitutional amendment.
The losses leave opponents in a bind.
Not only has the money shifted away from them, but their entire
strategy of looking to the electorate to either ban marriage equality
or repeal it failed for the first time.
We need to “redouble our efforts to
defend marriage, to preach about what marriage is, and to hope people
understand it as a unique relationship that does not discriminate
against anyone, but is for the good of children and for the good of
society,” said Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore.
Other leaders echoed the sentiment.
“We will continue to work to
strengthen marriage, and defend it against all forms of its
weakening, for the good of all society,” the Archdiocese of St.
Paul-Minneapolis said in a statement.
J. Peter Sartain, the archbishop of
Seattle and an outspoken opponent of extending the right to marry to
gay couples, added: “I am disappointed that so many voters failed
to recognize marriage between a man and a woman as the natural
institution for the permanent, faithful covenant of love for a
couple, for bringing children into the world, and for nurturing and
educating those children. This change in civil law is not in the
best interest of children or society.”