The head of the U.S. bishops’ marriage committee is backing new legislation that thwarts the federal government from bypassing state marriage laws.
“Various agencies of the executive branch” are effectively, if not intentionally, trying “to circumvent state laws defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman,” wrote Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco in a letter to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Rep. Randy Weber (R-Tex.), sponsors of a new bill that would prevent such circumvention.
Cruz and Weber have introduced the State Marriage Defense Act of 2015 in the Senate and House, respectively. The bill would recognize a couple’s marriage in the state where they currently reside, not the state they were married in, to determine their federal marriage benefits.
The federal government was using language to bypass state laws upholding traditional marriage, instead giving benefits to a couple based on the state in which they received their marriage license.
Thus under this policy, if a same-sex couple was living in a state that upheld traditional marriage, they would still receive the federal marriage benefits and privileges.
Supporters of the new bill invoked the Supreme Court’s 2013 Windsor decision that struck down the federal law upholding traditional marriage – the Defense of Marriage Act – but, they argued, also affirmed the right of states to define marriage.
Windsor “reaffirmed the states’ longstanding authority to define marriage,” Cruz stated.
“The Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in United States v. Windsor, however, requires the federal government to defer to state marriage law, not disregard it.” wrote Archbishop Cordileone….
The bill was introduced last year in the Democrat-controlled Senate and GOP-controlled House, but was never brought up for a vote….
The bill has 11 co-sponsors – all of them Republican – in the Senate, according to Congress.gov, and the House version has 26 co-sponsors, all Republicans.
This story comes from a Feb. 16 posting on the website of the Catholic News Agency.
It would seem that this effort would be defeasted if the US Supreme Court of Sycophants gives a majority of seal barks to Obama and rejects State limits on homosexual marriages as it is now recognized as a “protected right”. The Archbishop is a good man, and some effort should be made to stop the Sodomy-Express, but it will likely fail.
For some reason, Jesus is permitting Satan to have his way with sexual things, at least for now. The key thing for Christians is to fight it, to be sure, but also to tell the world that such sex is always wrong and an affront to God.
Too bad that it seems the Church leadership, perhaps expressly through Francis, is Hell-Bent to embrace homosexual sex as a God-given “gift” that we all should “welcome”.
While Michael Voris is a good man, Cardinal Burke is a better one: Catholics need to “resist” if this insult to the Faith comes to pass (also on divorced/remarried non-annulled Cathoilcs receiving communion, etc.). The Pope is not above criticism by laity, although it must be made respectfully and with an aim to having the Pope come to his senses and do the right thing. He is certainly “different” than any other clergy, and deserves our profound and continuous responect, even if he is wrong.
May God Bless Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and St. Michael the Archangel…..cut from the same cloth! Keep prayers and fast going for our great Sheperd.
INTRINSIC EVILS are:
Abortion, Euthanasia, Contraception, Homosexual (Sodomy) Marriage,
Human Cloning, and Embryonic Stem Cell Research.
Prior to voting or donating to any candidate:
1) check the Party Platform of all candidates to determine their Party’s GOALS,
both the State and National Platforms. These can be found on the internet. Look for the intrinsic evils.
2) check the public voting record of each of the incumbents. These can be found on the internet.
3) check all candidates statements and campaign literature.
“WORTHINESS to RECIEVE HOLY COMMUNION” – Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI).
https://www.priestsforlife.org/magisterium/bishops/04-07ratzingerommunion.htm
(There is NO proportionate reason today in the USA to the torture and murder of approx. 1 MILLION innocent human beings each year via abortion.)
Do NOT be a PARTICIPANT in any of the INTRINSIC EVILS by voting for those who support them.
Remember that elected officials appoint others to positions of power who are of like mind.
Good for Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco for taking action!
I agree Joel. He has been taking action now for a while. I remember the last time we met him, which was a few years ago, he spoke in defense of marriage. Also when he was in San Diego, he use to go to pray with the faithful at the abortion clinics. He is also a great support to help end abortion. God bless him.
“O God, who resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble: grant us the virtue of true humility, where of Your Only-begotten son showed in Himself a pattern for Your faithful; that we may never by our pride provoke Your anger, but rather by our meekness receive the riches of Your grace”
Please save this link and share with others:
” VOTERS GUIDE”
https://www.politicalresponsibility.com/voterguide.htm
It includes:
1. YOUR ROLE AS a CATHOLIC VOTER;
2. NON-NEGOTIABLES;
3. WHICH POLITICAL OFFICES SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT ?;
4. HOW TO DETERMINE A CANDIDATE’S POSITION;
5. HOW NOT TO VOTE;
6. HOW TO VOTE;
7. WHEN THERE IS NO “ACCEPTABLE” CANDIDATE.
All Catholic Citizens are required to VOTE. CCC # 2240.
It’s interesting that we find your bishop so readily willing to walk a political tight-rope and endorse legislation that is clearly unconstitutional and blatantly discriminatory. This goes way beyond the ruse of “affirming church teaching”.
“The Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in United States v. Windsor, however, requires the federal government to defer to state marriage law, not disregard it.” wrote Archbishop Cordileone.
While indeed this is true, unless Archbishop Cordileone has been misquoted, he is guilty of the sin of omission. Windsor goes on to say that because the question was not before the court, it was not making a decision as to the constitutionality of such state marriage laws banning same-sex marriage.
In praising the State Marriage Defense Act for allegedly “upholding traditional marriage” – insert eye roll here – he is nodding in assent to laws which have been shown to be inherently discriminatory and harmful to same-sex families, and as Justice Kennedy noted in Windsor, their children in particular. How by any definition of the word is this not unjust discrimination?
Perhaps AB Cordileone understands the bill will go nowhere, or at the very least will fall under close scrutiny as did DOMA; but if so, why get into bed with the likes of affirmed bigots, er, excuse me, extremists such as Ted Cruz and Randy Weber? Perhaps he’s gearing up to speak at NOM’s 2nd March for Maddness – oops, Marriage? Hmmmm?
peter (lower case letters) we know you support sodomy, but the US Supreme Court has already accepted 4 or 5 related cases to sodomy marriage for 2015.
The Abp is correct to date.
It is your right as a consenting adult to do whatever you want within your own home. Keep your sexual activity there.
There is no legal right to “define marriage” anywhere within the Federal Constitution, or State Constitutions. Any more than a legal right to define polygamy marriage and beastiality marriage (some people love their pets).
There is no legal right to give the children of heterosexuals to homos either, although homos want the children of heterosexuals.
Nonsense, PETER in all caps. LOL!
so peter (lower case), you refuse to answer PETER’s post of February 18, 2015 at 4:45 pm, because you know you are wrong.
PETER is legally correct. Sodomite lies have got to stop.
watch it peter lowercase……your soul is at stake.
Whatever the states decide about marriage cannot be decided in violation of the Federal Constitution. If states’ laws about marriage are found to be in violation of the Constitution, as they were in Loving v Virginia, then they are unconstitutional. I think there is an 80% chance the SCOTUS will decide that states violate the Federal Constitution if they exclude people in same sex relationships from the fundamental right to marry. The fundamental right to marry has been upheld in about 14 Supreme Court decisions.
YFC, we know that you fully support and participate in unnatural sex – sodomy.
If the Supreme Court advocates for unnatural sexual activity, what do you think about the following “freedoms” and “non-discriminations”
as well ?
Be specific for each.
1) Marriage to children under age 16;
2) Legalizing Polygamy for as many sexual partners as one desires;
3) Marriage to animals (beastiality) ?
So far these are all controlled by State laws.
PETE there is nothing about same sex marriage that relates to opening up marriages to children or with animals. Having more than one sexual partner is already legal in the United States, and again polygamy has nothing to do with same sex marriage.
Good for you, peter (lower case). The Catholic Church, and I am a Catholic, has never been able to come to grips with democracy. Cordileone is over-reaching. Our Church has the right to marry whomever it wants, but not to determine the laws of this or any other country. In an interview with an Italian publication some years ago, he said he intended to change our culture and I see he continues on the outrageous quest.
Electra provide a link to document your personal statement which I believe is false.
Cordileone is NOT over-reaching.
You are not a Catholic or you would know what the Bible and CCC state.
If you were following current events over the past several years, you would know that the sodomites do not want to live and let live, and merely live their perversions within the privacy of their own homes.
They want to force everyone to bow to their sexual lifestyle through the secular court system, as if sodomy was normal.
P.S. What teaching of Catholicism suggests that the role of a bishop is to proffer a faith-based endorsement of “state’s rights” anyway?
peter, it is called “FREEDOM of SPEECH”.
However as an avowed sodomite, you only want Freedom of Speech for sodomites and their supporters.
You like to misquote the Constitution to suit yourself. Here is the TRUTH.
Amendment 1.
“Congress shall no make law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the press; …..”
Regarding the 14th Amendment – regarding the States ” ….nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”.
Regarding marriage, this means that men and women of appropriate age can marry each other. – This is equal protection under the law for all men and all women.
It does not mean that children, homosexuals, polygamists, or persons involved in beastiality must be allowed to marry (even through they are persons).
FYI – there is no Federal Law on marriage.
yeah, yeah, blah, blah . . .
OK. True, as an individual member of society he has freedom of speech. But what compels him to act thus as an agent of the church; does his position reflect church teaching in his capacity as an AB? He certainly portrays it as such, so it would seem so. Or is he just throwing his weight around and grandstanding his opinion. I suspect that’s the case, but I’m curious if this has any real basis in Catholic teaching …
peter, I’m certain that this Abp’s private positions are the same as his public positions.
He can write to whomever he deems appropriate – under freedom of speech, freedom or press, or freedom of religion.
It is interesting that sodomites only want freedom for themselves and those who believe as they do.
They try to block everyone else from being heard.
Clearly you are wrong, as the Supreme Court has ruled 14 times that there is a Federal Constitutional right to marry. Have you ever heard of Loving v Virginia, to take the most famous example? The states may regulate marriage but only insofar as those laws do not run afoul of the Federal Constitution.
Apparently the Archbishop does not believe in freedom of speech or of association, in that he is prohibiting teachers and janitors from joining groups in their own after school hours, that, in his judgement, aren’t catholic enough..That’s pretty egregious.
YFC – Find FREEDOM of SPEECH and of Association in the PUBLIC square.
For example everyone has the right to express their opinion to public officials.
PRIVATE Churches, and PRIVATE Organizations, or PRIVATE Schools are – – – – – – NOT PUBLIC.
Let the SODOMITES start their own Schools. They can call them “SODOMITE ACADEMY of Satan”.
YFC, the Supreme Court has not ruled on SODOMY Marriage – yet.
Your Fellow Catholic (who is dishonest and not really Catholic) –
When you join any organization of your own free will, it means you subscribe to the beliefs and rules of that organization.
If not, you are a HYPOCRITE.
Jesus did not like the behavior of HYPOCRITES.
The beliefs/rules of the Catholic Faith are contained in the Bible and CCC.
And the Abp is in FULL accord with the Catholic Faith.
Too bad, that you are not – ‘YFC Hypocrite’.
God Bless Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. He is gentle and always defending marriage. When we met him, he was so approachable and such a humble witness. Very gentle.
Litany of Humility
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved…
From the desire of being extolled …
From the desire of being honored …
From the desire of being praised …
From the desire of being preferred to others…
From the desire of being consulted …
From the desire of being approved …
From the fear of being humiliated …
From the fear of being despised…
From the fear of suffering rebukes …
From the fear of being calumniated …
From the fear of being forgotten …
From the fear of being ridiculed …
From the fear of being wronged …
From the fear of being suspected …
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I …
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease …
That others may be chosen and I set aside …
That others may be praised and I unnoticed …
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…
A prayer for our holy priests:
Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord, keep them, for they are Thine –
Thy priests whose lives burn out before Thy consecrated shrine.
Keep them, for they are in the world, though from the world apart.
When earthly pleasures tempt, allure, Shelter them in Thy heart.
Keep them, and comfort them in hours of loneliness and pain.
When all their life of sacrifice for souls seems but in vain.
Keep them, and Oh, remember, Lord They have no one but Thee;
Yet they have only human hearts, with human frailty.
Keep them as spotless as the Host that daily they caress.
Their every thought and word and deed,
Deign, dearest Lord, to bless.
Amen.
Here you have some proposed legislation that has a tiny sliver of minority support (5% and 10% in the House and Senate respectively), that will most likely be moot by summer… really nothing more than an opportunity for five minutes of grandstanding.
It really seems like the archbishop works hard to never miss an opportunity for promoting his personal brand. He’s turning into the Catholic Jerry Falwell.
Agreed. 100% wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“peter” and “Hugh”: Your comments are simply naive and unbelievable on a Catholic blogsite. Regardless of what the US Supreme Court says — and it is likely that it will see homosexuals as having an unfettered right to marry — a bishop is obligated to fight to maintain the sanctitiy of the Faith, and of the families, and others, that adhere to the Church.
Homosexuals that wish to marry will have to do so in a civil venue, never in a Roman Catholic Church. Sodomites have no religious rights to do anything sacramentally because they revel in their mortal sins, and refuse to repent. The Pope’s call for “charity” is likely mis-understood, but whatever Francis means it cannot mean that Church doctrine will be changed — it cannot be.
So, your sneeringly made arguments are, well, nothing but noise. And, you must at least try to be accurate in your calumny, “Hugh”: Abp. Cordileone is not “promoting his personal brand;” he is stating the truth of the Cathoilc Faith. Perhaps you are mistaking a real Catholic bishop for one of the poseurs, like Cardinal “Chuckles-Bravo” Dolan (who applauds homosexuals who come-out) and others who want so much to “welcome” the “gifts” of homosexuals (which, by the Faith, are nonexistent).
This has nothing to with sacramental marriage in any way. Nor Catholic teaching, the SF Archdiocese even remotely, or religion even vaguely.
It’s some civil legislation aimed at denying federal recognition of marriage in the few remaining states that deny it, for people married in states that do. If anything, it offers the most practical rationale for a Supreme Court decision in favor of federal recognition that has yet existed. You now have a minority of states that are interfering with non-cultural things like federal tax filing status.
Even for Cruz, this is just a bit of theater kicking off his presidential campaign.
Hugh…..careful……your soul is at stake.
I’m not arguing anything. I made an observation and asked a question. As a bishop, he is obligated to fight – in his capacity as a bishop – to maintain the sanctity of the Faith, and a tenet of the Faith is that State’s Rights should prevail over the Federal Constitution. That’s what the AB is advocating, so it’s church teaching according to you, right? Is that your final answer?
peter – The Abp has the responsibility to do what is morally correct, regardless of immoral laws or potential immoral laws.
And he is doing just that.
You would not have to ask such silly questions if you read the CCC in entirety.
CCC: ” 2286 Scandal can be provoked by laws or institutions, by fashion or opinion.
Therefore, they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structures leading to the decline of morals and the corruption of religious practice,
or to “social conditions that, intentionally or not, make Christian conduct and obedience to the Commandments difficult,
and practically impossible.
This is also true of business leaders who make rules encouraging fraud, teachers who provoke their children to anger, or manipulators of public opinion who turn it away from moral values. ”
Scandal is a mortal sin.
SC ….”Homosexuals that wish to marry will have to do so in a civil venue, never in a Roman Catholic Church.” That’s pretty much the position of the marriage equality movement. I would never ask the Church to offer the sacrament of matremoney to me and another woman.
C&H maybe you would not ask the Church to marry you to another woman but there are plenty who will ask the government to force the Church to do so… Bet on it… at that moment choose whose side you are on…that time is coming
Hugh back up your false statement.
Since he has been named Abp of SFO, what has he stated that is not in alignment with Catholic teaching ?
It his job regarding Catholic teaching.
Use the Bible and the CCC for specific verses and paragraphs.
We don’t pay attention to peter (lower case). He is merely a homosexual troll.
Precisely, his job pertains to Catholic teaching. He also has an administrative role for the Church in a metropolitan area.
However, he appears to see his job primarily as a means to promote himself as Archbishop Anti-Gay (of San Francisco, no less) a political figure on a national stage and avatar of the Religious Right… In doing so, he’s cheapening his position, and aspiring to be a next-gen Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, etc. Pretty crass.
He seems to do nothing with the laity in his own archdiocese but alienate the vast majority. It may be Church teaching, but it’s his own singular focus and personal crusade.
But it’s not like any of this is unexpected. His rise to prominence was due to his involvement in Prop 8.
Hugh, do not lie.
And do not assume we are stupid.
The Cancer of immorality spreads.
In TX (and other moral States) this legislation can pass.
There are people who post on this site who advocate the sin of sodomy. What other sins do they advocate?
A time ago, they called homosexual activity “the love that dare not speak its name”. Now it won’t shut up.
Speaking of morality, I hope our good Archbishop Cordileone has a firm talk with the new pastor of Star of the Sea Church on Geary Blvd.: that man, and his associate, gave pamphlets to children as young as 2nd grade asking them if they were involved in sodomy, masturbation, etc.
Have they no sense of propriety?
I do not want my young children exposed to words like sodomy in a Catholic school when they are just 8 and 9 years old!
Father Illo and his associate need to get some guidance from people who know how to work with children – and with parents!!
lies and deceit……careful, your soul is at stake.
John, prove your statement with a link for documentation.
Did you contact the ABP about this, or are you merely lying ?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/star-of-the-sea-school-morality-pamphlet-backlash-parents/
This happened at the end of last year.
John, it was obviously a case of someone not actually reading what they handed out. It should not have happened. I am sure that the carelessness is deeply regretted. I am sure whoever did it is embarrassed by the blunder.
I would be hitting the roof if it was my kids who received the inappropriate material but I would not assume someone did it deliberately.
John has not provided us with a link that this really happened.
Anonymous, do not be so quick to jump to conclusions,
and promote everything someone else posts without documentation.
Anyone who would promote sexual information to 7 year olds would have to be FIRED immediately.
John did not state he contacted the appropriate Diocese Bishop with any documentation either.
MATT, it has been on both the local and national.news. Father Illo talks about the media coming for Ash Wednesday to report on it. He mentions CBS, ABC, NBC, the Examiner and the Chronicle.
And it was just a mistake. A bad mistake, and it was careless and it was sloppy, but it was a mistake.
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Pamphlet-about-morals-upsets-parents-at-SF-6086741.php
School employees are responsible to know what they are handing out to children.
Parents are responsible to know what their children are reading.
All must be in align with Church teaching.
The school administration should be checking everything before given to children to make certain that handouts are age appropriate.
What is appropriate for High School students is not the same as for Elementary School students.
This provides a system of checks and balances to avoid errors.
This is also why it is critical that all Employees be required to know and adhere to the CCC. They are all Ministers in one way or another.