WASHINGTON, AUGUST 1, 2003 (Zenit.org).- Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, urged Catholics and Christians alike to give serious thought to the Vatican’s new document concerning homosexual unions.
The Vatican document entitled «Considerations regarding proposals to give legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons,» was published yesterday by the Holy See’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It can be found on ZENIT’s Web page under the documents section: http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=39664.
In his statement, Bishop Gregory said: «These considerations are intended to re-express the Church’s teachings about the unique character of marriage and its place and role in society.»
«In affirming the teaching which has been consistent in law for centuries, the ‘Considerations’ opposes the legalization of homosexual unions and the granting to such relationships the legal equivalence of marriage,» Bishop Gregory continued.
Establishing a legal equivalence between marriage and homosexual relationships «not only weakens the unique meaning of marriage; it also weakens the role of law itself by forcing the law to violate the truth of marriage and family as the natural foundation of society and culture,» Bishop Gregory added.
The document also teaches «clearly about the respect due homosexual persons,» and condemns «unjust discrimination, harassment or abuse toward men and women with homosexual tendencies,» Bishop Gregory stated.
«Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the document affirms that they [homosexual persons] ‘must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity.’ Moral truth, the document states, is contradicted ‘both by approval of homosexual acts and unjust discrimination against homosexual persons,'» the bishop said.
Bishop Gregory added that the document implies that «Catholics must refrain from ‘any kind of formal cooperation in the enactment or application’ of laws that give the legal status and rights belonging to marriage to homosexual unions. Catholic politicians, in particular, must oppose such laws when they are proposed.»
«Given both the truth and the beauty of the Church’s teaching on marriage, I urge all Catholics and all men and women of good will to give the most serious and thoughtful attention to these ‘Considerations.’ Because the human intellect is naturally drawn to the truth, as the human heart is drawn by nature to the good, I am confident that many a careful reader will see the wisdom of what is proposed in this document, including many who may think otherwise at first,» he concluded.
The full text of Bishop Gregory’s statement can be found in Zenit’s Documents section, or on the USCCB Web page: http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2003/03-158.htm.
