ST. LOUIS, MO, June 19, 2015 (LifeSiteNews)
-- If the US Supreme Court decides to redefine marriage in the
next couple weeks it will not stop the nation’s bishops from proclaiming the
truth, says the archbishop serving as point man on the issue.
“Regardless
of what happens at the end of this month, nothing the court says can change
what marriage truly is and we will continue to promote and defend it,” said San
Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, chairman for the USCCB Subcommittee
for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage.
The
archbishop quoted Russian novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn to illustrate the
point for his fellow bishops at their Spring Assembly earlier this month in St.
Louis.
“Let
the lie come into the world, let it even triumph. But not through me,” said
Archbishop Cordileone. “The simple step of a courageous individual is not to
take part in the lie.”
“We
may have to suffer this lie about marriage in the law,” he continued, “but we
must not participate in it or keep silent about it.”
He
suggested to his fellow bishops that the faithful can offer up small hardships
in this regard for the Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere who are
being killed and exiled for the faith.
“Let
the lie come into the world, let it even triumph. But not through me. The
simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie.”
The
archbishop knows something about taking heat for the Catholic faith, with the
attacks on him over the last several months for working to strengthen the
Church’s identity in San Francisco Catholic high schools. His fellow bishops
applauded him fervently at the end of his presentation after USCCB President
Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz thanked him for his courageous leadership
for the Church.
Marriage
has been effectively redefined in 37 states and the District of Columbia as
consequence of judicial action, Cordileone told the bishops, and a “yes” answer
to either question before the high court – whether there is a constitutional
right to same-sex “marriage,” and whether states have to recognize same-sex
“marriages” performed in other states - will have the practical effect of
redefining marriage nationwide.
Archbishop
Cordileone warned of more persecution coming for those who believe in God’s
plan for natural marriage should the Supreme Court decide to redefine marriage
in the law.
“Those
who continue to advocate for the true definition of marriage will be
increasingly marginalized in law and society,” he said, “and depending on the
rationale, could be erroneously viewed as proponents of discrimination and will
themselves be targeted for discrimination.”
His
department had already been providing material for the bishops and dioceses to
educate on the issue, and also filed an amicus brief in the cases before the
Supreme Court. More resources will be available on the implications of the
court ruling once it is handed down.
“In
this atmosphere we continue our efforts to protect the freedom of those who
believe and act on the truth that marriage is the union of one man and one
woman,” said Archbishop Cordileone.
Various
recent legislative efforts were supported by the US bishops in defense of
marriage, including reintroduction in both Houses of Congress of the State
Marriage Defense Act and the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act, the latter
which protects adoption and foster care providers against discrimination by the
federal and state governments for placing children in homes with a mother and
father.
The
Marriage and Religious Freedom Act will be introduced again soon in the House
and the Senate, he said, especially important with it providing protection in
the areas of federal employment, contracts, grants, and tax-exempt status.
“The
act is particularly relevant,” Archbishop Cordileone stated, “given that when
the Solicitor General of the United States was recently asked by a justice of
the Supreme Court at oral argument in the marriage cases whether a religious
school could lose its tax exempt status for opposing same-sex ‘marriage,’ the
Solicitor General did not take the opportunity to deny it, and thereby quell
fear about it, but instead said that, ‘It’s certainly going to be an issue.’”
More
is expected as well in terms of federal classification of sexual orientation or
gender identity. “These categories have come to acquire meanings in law that
both reflect an incorrect understand of the human person and protect immoral
behavior,” said Archbishop Cordileone, calling out the Obama administration for
promoting them.
“Regarding
the federal executive branch,” he said, “we have continued to witness efforts
to advance what Pope Francis has referred to critically as ‘gender theory’ or
‘gender ideology.’”
The
recent OSHA-released dictates compelling employers to allow self-identified
transgendered individuals to use the bathroom according to their “gender
identity” and not their biological sex, were a perfect example of the Holy
Father’s insight on the subject.
“There
is the mistake of the human mind – gender theory – creating so much confusion,”
the archbishop said, quoting Pope Francis, “and it seeks to cancel out sexual
difference.”
“The
importance of responding to this challenge with truth and compassion remains
paramount,” he said, and shared that the Holy Father has been offering
excellent catechesis on marriage in his series on the family during his
Wednesday general audiences.
“An
essential part of our teaching is and has to be that the difference between man
and woman in a positive difference,” said the archbishop. “It’s the difference
that makes new life possible, rather than a negative one to be ignored or
actively opposed.”
He,
along with a few other bishops had signed the Defense of Marriage and the Right
of Religious declaration in April along with more than 30 other faith leaders,
showing that the Catholic Church is not alone in its witness to marriage.
God BlessNathan
