WASHINGTON, D.C., DEC. 10, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman of the US Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, responded to today’s U. S. Supreme Court decision to hear the case challenging California’s Proposition 8 and a case challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
«The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear these cases is a significant moment for our nation,» Archbishop Cordileone said. «I pray the Court will affirm the fact that the institution of marriage, which is as old as humanity and written in our very nature, is the union of one man and one woman. Marriage is the foundation of a just society, as it protects the most vulnerable among us, children. It is the only institution that unites children with their mothers and fathers together. We pray for the Court, that its deliberations may be guided by truth and justice so as to uphold marriage’s true meaning and purpose,» Archbishop Cordileone said.
In 2008, California voters passed Proposition 8, which defines marriage in California’s State Constitution as the union of one man and one woman. DOMA, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996, defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman for purposes of federal law. A decision by the Supreme Court is expected by next June. Depending on the Court’s ruling, there could be ramifications for marriage laws throughout the country.
Earlier this week the bishops issued a Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty as part of a pastoral response for the protection of life, marriage and liberty.
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For more information on the US Bishops’ Pastoral Response, go to: www.usccb.org/life-marriage-liberty.
