Following the advancement of a bill yesterday in the U.S. Senate to federally recognize same-sex marriages, the nation’s Catholic bishops reaffirmed the Church’s teaching on marriage. They also “expressed concerns that the legislation could lead to discrimination against individuals who hold to a traditional view of marriage.”
“The Catholic Church will always uphold the unique meaning of marriage as a lifelong, exclusive union of one man and one woman,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty, said in a Nov. 17 statement.
“In doing so, we are joined by millions of what the Obergefell Court called ‘reasonable and sincere’ Americans — both religious and secular — who share this time-honored understanding of the truth and beauty of marriage,” Dolan continued, referencing the 2015 Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
The Senate voted 62-37 Wednesday to advance the bill, which still needs a final vote to make it out of the Senate before final approval in the House of Representatives and then President Joe Biden’s signature.
The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA), if ultimately signed into law by Biden, would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 law signed by President Bill Clinton that defined marriage federally as the union of a man and a woman, and permitted states not to recognize same-sex marriages contracted in other states. DOMA already was effectively nullified by the 2013 and 2015 Supreme Court decisions United States v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges.
Dolan said the bill opens people such as faith-based adoption and foster care providers, religious employers seeking to maintain their faith identity, and faith-based housing agencies to potential discrimination since it does not provide for individual conscience protections for those who hold to a traditional view of marriage.
“The bill is a bad deal for the many courageous Americans of faith and no faith who continue to believe and uphold the truth about marriage in the public square today,” Dolan wrote.
“The Act does not strike a balance that appropriately respects our nation’s commitment to the fundamental right of religious liberty,” he continued. “Senators supporting the Act must reverse course and consider the consequences of passing an unnecessary law that fails to provide affirmative protections for the many Americans who hold this view of marriage as both true and foundational to the common good.”
Full story at Catholic News Agency.
The bishops would do well to ask the question “why do you get stuff just because you like someone and have sex with them?” It’s a practical question that points to the reality that marriage historically, societally and culturally is to privilege, protect and advantage the raising of children….not to have a reliably present bed partner, gay, straight or otherwise. The bishops need to think outside of the box and offer rational alternative to these junior high kids running our country such as telling them that if people want a marriage license they need to present the birth certificate of their child first.
So you want people to have children before wedlock?
Obviously, as Catholics, we have to oppose that.
Will any bishop — particularly Wilton Gregory — warn Biden not to sign the bill? Will there be any ecclesiastical consequences if Biden does sign it?
Not a chance. Many Catholics have forgotten that Biden endorsed same sex marriage when he performed a wedding for 2 men.
Then, when will they stop giving Holy Communion to Pelosi, Biden, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-WA, Sen. Bob Casey, D-PA, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-NV, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand D-NY, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-VA, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-AZ, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-VT, Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-NM, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, Sen. Ed Markey, D-MA, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-NJ, Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-CA, Sen. Jack Reed, D-RI, Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-AK, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-AK, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC and many Catholics in the House of Representatives?
Do the bishops know they’ve lost respect and moral authority? Or, rather, have thrown it away.
When you reward evil behavior, what do you expect? Stop giving them “religious” political cover. Cortez Masto campaigned in front of a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Pray for the repentance of these politicians and for courage for our bishops.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) has been unhappy with his Bishop for 18 years, because he has been prohibited from reception of Holy Communion, due to being a pro-abortion politician. Not sure if he ever teamed up with Nancy Pelosi, and went to a Jesuit church in Washington, D.C., and received Communion from the wayward Jesuits, there.
Thank you. I stand corrected. In 2004, Durbin’s pastor, then-Father Kevin Vann, now Bishop of Orange, advised him not to present himself for Communion because of his position on abortion. The diocese’s past bishop and present bishop, Thomas J. Paprocki, continued that pastoral guidance.
Thank God for bishops like Bishop Vann, Bishop Paprocki, Archbishop Cordileone and others who care about the souls of those in their flock.
I have not heard a single homily about the need for American Catholics to oppose same-sex marriage in the past ten years, nor have I heard one about opposing LGBT ideology nor what to do to protect children from its pernicious influence.
This faint, half-hearted opposition from the bishops in response to pending legislation is feeble because the bishops and priests and catechists haven’t been forming Catholic consciences correctly for the past two decades.
I have and I heard it at the Cathedral in San Francisco. (It was not the archbishop.) What was said:
“We need to stand up for the truth about human sexuality even if persecuted and even if the persecution comes from those in our own family.”
Very few priests these days talk about Christian Morality, abortion, gay marriage, and the severe problems facing our Nation. I heard not one sermon, all this year, regarding Prop. 1 and the evils of abortion and gay marriage. All the priests did, was to briefly encourage everyone to be sure to “get out and vote.” And then to mention the fact that they cannot tell us how to vote. Very discouraging. As usual. Abp. Cordileone is very dedicated, and has worked hard for Christian Marriage and Pro Life. God bless Abp. Cordileone.
That’s very unfortunate. Both my pastor and I, as well as visiting priests, have preached the truth about marriage. The truth is that marriage is one man and one woman. Sex outside of marriage is wrong. Our opposition is, as I’m sure you know, not only toward same-sex so-called marriage, but, fornication, adultery and polygamy. Sin, all sin, is destructive to human persons. I urge you to support your priests and bishops (and deacons) when they do and say the right thing. Please tell them. They should do so simply because it’s the right thing. Yet, we’re all human and could use encouragement. Most comments, emails and letters many clergy, especially. pastors, receive are negative. Commend the good that they do and you may find they’re more likely to do so again. And, pray for them.
They ignored the leak. They ignored the trickle. They ignored the stream. And, now, they are aghast at the flood.
They did not ignore anything. They worked for the protection of traditional marriage. And they have been working for religious freedom.
They are not aghast. They have working against this for decades.
What? Like Bishop Barron who said on camera in an interview that he thinks it would be imprudent to oppose same sex marriage in America now and that the church should have other priorities? Word on Fire? More like Word under Cover.
I was speaking of the Bishop’s conference.
Bishop Barron opposed same sex marriage becoming legal.
He defended traditional marriage, like the Bishops asked us to.
I am not one of his followers but I remember the interview you are talking about as coming after the Supreme Court decision.
I remember it as being “OK. We lost. Let’s move on and do other work.”
I have never heard of such a position, as is now taken by our Catholic bishops. Why are they not strongly condemning unnatural, sinful, deviant gay sex acts, and immoral, false gay “marriage?” Where is the Christian Moral teaching of our Church? It is not about “our beliefs” on Marriage vs. “their beliefs.” This is a horrific LIE!! It is about standing for the Truth! A Nation cannot exist on lies, immorality, perversion, sin, and crime, before God– endorsing filthy, sinful, deviant and dangerous gay sex acts and gay “marriage” as “valid” and “acceptable,” before God– with millions of American schoolchildren to be taught that so-called gay “marriage” is “valid” and “acceprable,” falsely the same as the Natural and True Man-Woman Marriages, ordained by God, of their own mothers and fathers! Gay “marriage” is PERVERSION and SIN! Not authentic “marriage!” It must be CONDEMNED by all in society! Children should be kept far away from sin and filth and crime– including sins and crimes of gay sex pervert acts! These acts should be illegal and condemned! Psychiatrists should have the correct medical terms and diagnoses for the LGBT disorders as exactly for what they are: a disorder, an abnormality, a mental illness! Gay deviant, pervert sex acts are unnatural, sinful and dangerous– and should be outlawed! Kids must NEVER be adopted by LGBTs! Keep kids safe and far away from such filth and evil! Teach kids the Truth– and stand by it!
I think Catholic families should stay far away from these corrupt, sinful, pervert Church leaders, rebellious and faithless to Christ and to the Bible and Magisterium. Those corrupt clerics all are in danger of losing their souls completely! I would fear for Catholic schoolchildren, teens, and seminarians, worldwide! Parents must again read what St. Paul has to say, warning about the horrific dangers of sexual sins. Stay far away, with maybe one small, faithful group, that refuses to follow these corrupt and dangerous clergy!
What stuff do people get? If you are talking about same sex marriage, the stuff people get is usually a higher tax bill.
We shouldn’t be talking about same sex marriage, much less should anyone be attempting it, much less should any government recognize it in law. SSM is an absurdity on its face, a self-contradiction. Might as well say you can marry a cat or a plant or a doorknob.
LGBTQ and pride flags and pro-LGBT laws are a tyranny. Someone last night wrongly decided to fight that tyranny by shooting innocent people. When the tyrants come after your livelihood and your freedom, some people will react like that. Fact is, stop shoving LGBT in people’s faces, go back in the closet, and things will be better for you all. Maybe even think about changing to normalcy instead of queerness.
Flying a flag is tyranny? Do you even understand what the word means?
Pride flags are as ubiquitous as swastikas were in Nazi Germany
YFC, the message from the elites is clear: submit to LGBT Pride or you will be canceled and ruined. That’s totalitarianism.
No it isn’t.
No one can cancel you. No one can ruin you.
People may decide not to associate with you. That is their right.
If you are making a workplace uncomfortable, you may be fired.
You make your decisions. You live with the consequences.
We don’t make excuses for mass murder. Ever.
The people who “react like that” bear the full blame.
This is somebody who threatened to kill his own mother.
Maybe, where you are from, people do that.
Where I am from, people say, anybody who would do that would do anything.
I am waiting to get all the facts before I condemn anyone. Why did the young man hate his mother so much, was she innocent or was she like some lesbians who are taking children away from their fathers to “change their sex”? In other words, mutilate them. If she is that type of woman, and I am not saying is, I would have no sympathy for her whatsoever. The same for any man who wants to mutilate his daugher or anyone else’s daughter. Get the facts before you spout off and declare who is innocent and who guilty.
By the way, if you had not spouted your venom so soon, you would have noticed that “stop shoving LGBT” said in his first line that the shooter “decided wrongly”.
Another thing, why the hell is the rainbow flag put up in some of our embassies, when the only flag that should be there is the United States flag?
[His mother] Laura Voepel is the daughter of state Assemblymember Randy Voepel, 71, who has represented the 71st District since 2016. He served on the Santee City Council as a council member and mayor for two decades.
In April 2020, Voepel posted on Facebook about her father: “Keep up the work Dad — You work hard to improve our lives and a lot of us take notice.”
Matthew 12:43-45
Judging by all the pro-Democrat bumper stickers on the cars of San Jose diocesan and Mitty employees, I’d say Bishop Cantu has some work to do at home.
He could start by terminating the pro-abortion president of Mitty and bringing the seminarians back to St. Patrick’s, just across the county line (rather than in the. midwest under Cupich).