The Supreme Court’s decision on “same-sex marriage” is disappointing to us, in that it did not affirm the Church’s definition of Marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
I echo a statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: “When Jesus taught about the meaning of marriage – the lifelong, exclusive union of husband and wife – he pointed back to “the beginning” of God’s creation of the human person as male and female (see Matthew 19). In the face of the customs and laws of his time, Jesus taught an unpopular truth that everyone could understand. The truth of marriage endures, and we will continue to boldly proclaim it with confidence and charity.”
As we continue to learn of the decision announced today by the Supreme Court, our dialogue must remain civil. Beyond the legal, ethical and moral matters related to these issues are real human beings, each created in the image and likeness of God. In our pluralistic and democratic society, people of good will espouse different points of view and must work, especially in the face of the challenges as great as these, to find common ground in our shared humanity.