Vatican Condemns Same-sex Marriage

[jasJis]

Vatican Condemns Same-Sex Marriage in Watershed Document

7/31/03

The Vatican has issued a new document on the legal recognition of homosexual civil unions. Significantly, the document is dated June 3, the memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and companions, who willingly suffered torture and martyrdom rather than consent to the homosexual advances of the Ugandan king.

This document will be the talk of the culture and we must be able to understand and defend the Church's position. We must not hide this teaching but rather present the truth in love and do so convincingly. We believe the future of our society hangs in the balance. Please read this document and give it to your pastor. Encourage him to explain it to your parish.

Understanding the Church's teaching on marriage and family and being able to charitably and articulately defend it is critical in these challenging times. We are the ambassadors of the Church's teaching. Be prepared for you never know when you may be called to explain and defend it. Among other important points, the document states that, "the Catholic law-maker has a moral duty to express his opposition clearly and publicly and to vote against it. To vote in favour of a law so harmful to the common good is gravely immoral." Once again, the Presidential hopefuls and other political leaders who claim to be Catholic but don't stand with the Church, will disagree. So who will call them to account? Who will defend the Church's position? Let us pray and work for the defense of marriage!

Here are the topics covered in the Vatican Document:

1. The nature of marriage and its inalienable characteristics;

2. Positions on the problem of homosexual unions;

3. Arguments from reason against legal recognition of homosexual civil unions:

• from the order of right reason;

• from the biological and anthropological order;

• from the social order; and

• from the legal order

4. Positions of Catholic politicians with regard to legalization in favor of homosexual unions

The full Document is available here.

>To Vatican Document at Vatican<

[hyperdulia again]

i dunno...i'm sure iron will have more to say.

[jasJis]

i dunno...i'm sure iron will have more to say.

What's your opinion? The opposite of what Iron says?

[hyperdulia again]

Ok I do know. There does not need to be civil recognition for same sex unions. The problems that people run into as result of not having their relationships recognized by the government are problems that come from laziness, wills can be written assuring that property goes to the surviving partner. Even in states where same-sex couples aren't allowed to adopt children, gay and lesbian individuals are allowed to and then the other partner can file for secondary parental rights to the child(ren)---this what any semi-resposible, semi-attached parent would do. As for taxes and the rest of it, get over it.

Please understand that this is in no way intended to be an endorsement of what is commonly known as the gay lifestyle, it is rather intended to debunk what for me sounds like the strongest arguments in favor of same-sex marriage.

Now having said that I can't answer the qustion of whether it is mean or good. I don't intend to read the document, because it would probably make me angry. It is good to that the Catholic Church is coming out against the notion that there is any kind of marriage other than the Sacramental union of a man and a woman, but it still might be mean depending on the language used to make that point.

in Christ

Edited July 31, 2003 by hyperdulia again

[hyperdulia again]

bump

[mp15]

All I can say is "Bout Time!!"

[Chrysologus]

It won't make much of a difference, but it's always good when the truth is defended, no matter how few people listen. I'm sure that the Vatican will treat the issue with respect.

[Winchester]

It's always a good idea for the Church to speak out on the basic foundations of society. The family is the foundation of society itself, something which is not to be subborned or perverted by the state.

[Good Friday]

May the strength of Christ be with us all as we struggle to carry our crosses.

First of all, I want to say that I agree 100% with the Vatican's statement on same-sex unions. As difficult as the topic of homosexuality is for me, I acknowledge that active homosexuality is wrong. And even though it's difficult for me to read documents like that, I think it's good for everyone to read it, and those who might struggle with it to offer up that difficulty as a sacrifice for the conversion of sinners here on earth and to offer it up for the souls in Purgatory. At least, that's what I'm doing.

That said, I don't think the original topic posted by Ironmonk (entitled: Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) should have been a locked thread. In my humble opinion, if you're going to post something here, be ready to debate it... after all, this is the debate table. If there is someone who disagrees with the document, regardless of the fact that it's written by the CDF, then a debate is an opportunity to discuss the topic and possibly lead the person who disagrees with it to the Truth. But if it's going to be posted here in the Debate Table, I think the possibility of debating it needs to be open. That's just my opinion though, and I'd imagine Ironmonk had his own reasons, probably very good, for locking the thread.

[Winchester]

agreed. Besides, there's always huge chunks of other documents to cut and paste us into submission with!

[hyperdulia again]

Just for the record (in case I'm on anyone's mind for any reason), I have not said I disagree with anything---in fact I agree with everything the Catholic Church says, whether or not I like how She says it.

[Winchester]

You were on my mind, but mainly because your strange obsession with paisleys.

[hyperdulia again]

But Paisleys are so byooootiful.

[Good Friday]

Ditto about the paisleys thing, Hyper.

Actually, you weren't on my mind at all. My post was more for the passerby who might not agree with the Church, or who might get angry over reading the document even if they do agree with the Church. I would never presume to know whether one person here agrees or disagrees unless they say so, my post was more for the "hypothetical person" that might be reading the thread. I admire you, Hyper, for dealing with this situation, and I pray for you daily... because it's very hard for me, and I know your circumstances must make it even harder for you. And I always assume everyone here agrees with the Church until they state differently. It would hardly be right for me to ask everyone here to give me the benefit of the doubt after being a schismatic heretic, if I weren't willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.

[hyperdulia again]

cool beans.