Prop 8: Statement from Cardinal George
Posted by Tom Pringle on Aug 4, 2010 in Social Concerns | 7 commentsIn response to a federal judge’s decision to overturn Proposition 8, Francis Cardinal George, current President of the USCCB, has released the following statement:
Source: LA Times
WASHINGTON—Cardinal Francis George, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, decried the August 4 decision of a federal judge to overturn California voters’ 2008 initiative that protected marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
“Marriage between a man and a woman is the bedrock of any society. The misuse of law to change the nature of marriage undermines the common good,” Cardinal George said. “It is tragic that a federal judge would overturn the clear and expressed will of the people in their support for the institution of marriage. No court of civil law has the authority to reach into areas of human experience that nature itself has defined.”
Joining Cardinal George in his criticism of the court decision was Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage. Archbishop Kurtz noted that “Citizens of this nation have uniformly voted to uphold the understanding of marriage as a union of one man and one woman in every jurisdiction where the issue has been on the ballot. This understanding is neither irrational nor unlawful,” he said. “Marriage is more fundamental and essential to the well being of society than perhaps any other institution. It is simply unimaginable that the court could now claim a conflict between marriage and the Constitution.”
More to come. As always, stay tuned.
Source: USCCB
I just want to gag! When are you Cardinals and Bishops and the rest of you realize that marriage as an institution was created by man and has been changed before. There was a time when, if put to a vote, interracial marriage would have faced the same prospects as same-sex marriage. When we, as citizens, pass laws that discriminate against other citizens, it is the role of the courts to make sure that said law is CONSTITUTIONAL. This “activist” Judge Walker, appointed by none other than super liberal George W. Bush, is merely doing his job. He listened to arguments on both sides of the issue, applied constitutional law, and voila! This great country of ours was founded on the principle that ALL men are created equal, not just white ones, or rich ones, or heterosexual ones.
I was born Catholic. I was raised Catholic. I was confirmed Catholic. I’ll be the first to say that it takes a lot of balls, yes balls, for anyone in the Catholic establishment to preach morality. The day your Pope, and the rest of you sheep, acknowledge and condemn priests having sex with CHILDREN, you have no right to tell anybody how to do anything.
Hypocrites.
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Thomas, thanks so much for publishing the previous comment. We thoroughly enjoyed having a chuckle at the display of atrocious grammar after rather a long day. Keep up the good work!
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Robert,
First, just to clarify, Judge Walker was appointed by George H.W. Bush in 1989.
Now, to your comment…As Catholics and as Christians, we believe that marriage was established by God. We take this belief from Genesis 2:23-24 — ” [T]he man said: ‘This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.’ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.”
As you were raised Catholic, you will know that the roots of our faith are grounded in the relationship between Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Therefore, we must also look at what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “Marriage is not a purely human institution despite the many variations it may have undergone through the centuries in different cultures, social structures, and spiritual attitudes. (1603)” It goes on to state: “(1604) Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man.”
In regards to the sexual abuse of minors by clergy — I believe that those priests who have been found guilty of abusing minors should have the book thrown at them in a court of law. They are no different from child predators who prey on some of the most vulnerable among us. The church, throughout the years, has made mistakes in terms of dealing with these great sins committed by her priests. However, the Church has led the way in a lot of instances in establishing programs and safeguards that protect our children. These new guidelines are very strict. In most cases, once a priest is accused of sexual misconduct with ANYONE, they are immediately removed from ministering publicly. The local dioceses then call in the authorities and the investigation is turned over. So, there is no acceptance, at all, for priests or any ministers of the church who have been found guilty of child molestation. But, there have been many cases of child molestation in countless other faith denominations, in schools and, most painfully, in a child’s own home by his/her own parents. It is my opinion that the liberal media likes to point out abuse by Catholic priests because they want to discredit the Church’s moral voice in the world. And, as you can see here, most of the time, they don’t get the facts right anyway. But, that’s a conversation for later…
Back to the same-sex marriage debate, I think Dr. Robert George, founder of the American Principles Project, sums it up perfectly:
I hope my response helped you understand more of why the Church objects to same-sex marriages. Please feel free to comment back.
Tom
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I just want to gag! When are you Cardinals and Bishops and the rest of you realize that marriage as an institution was created by man and has been changed before. There was a time when, if put to a vote, interracial marriage would have faced the same prospects as same-sex marriage. When we, as citizens, pass laws that discriminate against other citizens, it is the role of the courts to make sure that said law is CONSTITUTIONAL. This u201cactivistu201d Judge Walker, appointed by none other than super liberal George W. Bush, is merely doing his job. He listened to arguments on both sides of the issue, applied constitutional law, and voila! This great country of ours was founded on the principle that ALL men are created equal, not just white ones, or rich ones, or heterosexual ones.nI was born Catholic. I was raised Catholic. I was confirmed Catholic. Iu2019ll be the first to say that it takes a lot of balls, yes balls, for anyone in the Catholic establishment to preach morality. The day your Pope, and the rest of you sheep, acknowledge and condemn priests having sex with CHILDREN, you have no right to tell anybody how to do anything.nHypocrites.
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Robert,nnFirst, just to clarify, Judge Walker was appointed by George H.W. Bush in 1989.nnNow, to your commentu2026As Catholics and as Christians, we believe that marriage was established by God. We take this belief from Genesis 2:23-24 u2014 u201d [T]he man said: u2018This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called u2018woman,u2019 for out of u2018her manu2019 this one has been taken.u2019 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.u201dnnAs you were raised Catholic, you will know that the roots of our faith are grounded in the relationship between Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Therefore, we must also look at what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: u201cMarriage is not a purely human institution despite the many variations it may have undergone through the centuries in different cultures, social structures, and spiritual attitudes. (1603)u201d It goes on to state: u201c(1604) Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man.u201dnnIn regards to the sexual abuse of minors by clergy u2014 I believe that those priests who have been found guilty of abusing minors should have the book thrown at them in a court of law. They are no different from child predators who prey on some of the most vulnerable among us. The church, throughout the years, has made mistakes in terms of dealing with these great sins committed by her priests. However, the Church has led the way in a lot of instances in establishing programs and safeguards that protect our children. These new guidelines are very strict. In most cases, once a priest is accused of sexual misconduct with ANYONE, they are immediately removed from ministering publicly. The local dioceses then call in the authorities and the investigation is turned over. So, there is no acceptance, at all, for priests or any ministers of the church who have been found guilty of child molestation. But, there have been many cases of child molestation in countless other faith denominations, in schools and, most painfully, in a childu2019s own home by his/her own parents. It is my opinion that the liberal media likes to point out abuse by Catholic priests because they want to discredit the Churchu2019s moral voice in the world. And, as you can see here, most of the time, they donu2019t get the facts right anyway. But, thatu2019s a conversation for lateru2026nnBack to the same-sex marriage debate, I think Dr. Robert George, founder of the American Principles Project, sums it up perfectly:nn u201cThe claim that this case is about equal protection or discrimination is simply falseu2026It is about the nature of marriage as an institution that serves the interests of childrenu2014and society as a wholeu2014by uniting men and women in a relationship whose meaning is shaped by its wonderful and, indeed, unique aptness for the begetting and rearing of children.nn u201cWe are talking about the right to define what marriage is, not about who can or cannot take part. Under our Constitution the definition and meaning of marriage is a decision left in the hands of the people, not given to that small fraction of the population who happen to be judges.u201dnn u201cJudge Walker has abandoned his role as an impartial umpire and jumped into the competition between those who believe in marriage as the union of husband and wife and those who seek to advance still further the ideology of the sexual revolution. Were his decision to stand, it would ensure additional decades of social dissension and polarization. Pro-marriage Americans are not going to yield to sexual revolutionary ideology or to judges who abandon their impartiality to advance it.u201dnnI hope my response helped you understand more of why the Church objects to same-sex marriages. Please feel free to comment back.nnTom
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Thomas, thanks so much for publishing the previous comment. We thoroughly enjoyed having a chuckle at the display of atrocious grammar after rather a long day. Keep up the good work!
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I’m not religious (though not atheist) and it’s your comment that makes me want to gag.There is no issue of equality of persons involved at all…the state has a compelling interest in promoting and protecting opposite-sex relationships,and no comparable interest,let alone an “equal” one,in there being any same-sex relationships.A standard of conduct is not “discrimination” against a class defined by desire to violate that standard,the standard equally to everyone.Not all desires are equally worthy of fulfillment,or we could have no laws at all.
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