GLASGOW, Scotland, OCT. 10, 2011 (Zenit.org).- An ideology that sees any structure or ethical system as «inimical to human freedom» is at the root of Scotland’s move toward same-sex «marriage,» according to the archbishop of Glasgow.
In a statement released Sunday, Archbishop Mario Conti explained the Church’s opposition to same-sex «marriage.» His statement is part of a national marriage-defense campaign launched across Scotland’s 500 Catholic parishes.
The Scottish government is holding a consultation on whether same-sex «marriage» should be introduced.
Archbishop Conti noted how Jesus responded to a question on marriage by referring to God’s original plan.
«Today’s question,» he said, «arises within a largely post-Christian society, which retains certain values which have characterized Christianity, most notably compassion for the disadvantaged and a desire to build inclusive social structures.»
This same society, the prelate noted, «increasingly tolerates sexual promiscuity, while reacting strongly, and rightly so, to all instances of sexual abuse.»
The question of same-sex «marriage» is asked because of an «increasing acceptance, wittingly or unwittingly, of a particular ideology which considers all structures and ethical systems as inimical to human freedom,» he explained.
The ideology places «personal autonomy above even physical realities so that, for example, the very determination of one’s own sex and gender is regarded as an issue of choice — even a supposed human right.»
Philosophical tool
The prelate noted how this ideology «seeks to have changes in the law to accommodate its demands.»
«In other words, those who hold to this ideology rely on the modern preoccupation with human rights to press for a change in the concept and definition of marriage to cover what any group in society might want it to be,» he said. «It provides same sex advocates with a philosophical tool to seek a change in our law and our definition, to serve their own purposes.»
Archbishop Conti said that government should be «respectfully reminded that a mandate to govern does not include a mandate to reconstruct society on ideological grounds, nor to undermine the very institution which, from the beginning, has been universally acknowledged as of the natural order and the bedrock of society, namely marriage and the family.»
He pointed out that marriage «was not instituted by civil society, though civil society saw its importance and defended it through its laws.»
Referring to the 2004 legislation that allows same-sex couples to enter into «civil partnerships,» the 77-year-old prelate reflected that «on the face of it, and to many, the redefining of civil partnerships as ‘marriage’ may seem a small step and one that ought to be taken out of consideration for the feelings of those who are unable to form the relationship with a person of the opposite sex which has traditionally been described as marriage.»
But, he assured, such a determination is «of serious import and will be rightly resisted by many.»
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On the Net:
Full text: www.scmo.org/articles/archbishop-mario-conti-issues-statement-on-marriage.html
