The defense of marriage

November 7, 9:28 AMColumbus Catholic ExaminerPat Krukenkamp-Maskell

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The Roxas/Sanchez wedding, Philippines (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

In written testimony presented during a hearing of Washington D.C.’s Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary on October 26, 2009, the Washington Archdiocese said it, “opposes . . . legislation and any effort to redefine marriage as other than that between a man and a woman.”  Earlier in the spring, the City Council passed a bill, without resident input, requiring the district to recognize same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions.  Hundreds of district residents spoke out on both sides of the issue.  A coalition of groups has filed a request with the district's Board of Elections and Ethics that there be an initiative on the ballot next year to define marriage as being between a man and a woman.

On November 3, 2009, Maine became yet another state to vote against any initiatives supporting or allowing gay marriage.  The question of gay marriage is another issue filled with pain and sorrow faced by society as a whole, including the Catholic Church.  Many gay couples cry out for privacy in their unions, stating that their desire to marry is a private matter.  The gay couples cite their desire for legal benefits both through legislation in tax laws and insurance benefits.

November 16-19, 2009, our American Catholic Bishops will meet in Baltimore for their annual Bishops’ Fall General Assembly.  The items they plan to discuss include: beginning of life issues, end of life issues, the Roman Missal, a report by the National Religious Vocation Conference, a preliminary report on the causes and context study on clergy sexual abuse of minors conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a 57-page proposed pastoral letter on marriage called, “Marriage: Life and Love in the Divine Plan,” affirming that true marriage can only involve a man and a woman.  The bishops’ intention through the letter is to reverse “a disturbing trend” toward viewing marriage as a ‘mostly private matter” with personal satisfaction as its only goal.

In November 2004, the bishops began a, “National Pastoral Initiative for Marriage.”  The 2009 component of the Initiative cites four "fundamental challenges to the nature and purpose of marriage" -- contraception, same-sex unions, easy divorce and cohabitation.  The bishops state in the letter that contraception and cohabitation are “intrinsically evil.”  Couples who use contraception, "may think that they are doing nothing harmful to their marriages," they are in reality causing many negative consequences, both personal and societal.”  Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., chair of the bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage, will report on efforts to promote and protect marriage as the exclusive and permanent union between a man and a woman. The campaign includes the anticipated launching of five seven- to nine-minute videos supporting and educating on the exclusive and permanent union between a man and a woman, with accompanying pamphlets and a related Web site in 2010.

Marriage is a sacrament shared by a man and a woman pledging life-long love and care.  It is Trinitarian in nature and is the total gift of self where two become one.  Please continue to support local and national legislation to preserve the sacramental nature of marriage.