6/26/13

FR: Bishop Donald J. Kettler

TO: Parish Ministers and Administrators

RE: Supreme Court Ruling

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, chair of the USCCB’s Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, issued the enclosed statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision on the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). I ask that this statement be placed in your parish bulletins or read from the pulpit as soon as possible.

Although we must always respect and preserve the rights and privileges of individual citizens, a court action which redefines marriage and substantially changes the institution of marriage as defined by God cannot be justified. I ask for the prayers of our people as we continue to promote and defend God’s definition of marriage: one man, one woman, for life.

SUPREME COURT DECISIONS ON MARRIAGE: ‘TRAGIC DAY FOR MARRIAGE AND OUR NATION,’ STATE U.S. BISHOPS

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court decisions June 26 striking down part of the Defense of Marriage Act and refusing to rule on the merits of a challenge to California’s Proposition 8 mark a “tragic day for marriage and our nation,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage.

The statement follows.

“Today is a tragic day for marriage and our nation. The Supreme Court has dealt a profound injustice to the American people by striking down in part the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The Court got it wrong. The federal government ought to respect the truth that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, even where states fail to do so. The preservation of liberty and justice requires that all laws, federal and state, respect the truth, including the truth about marriage. It is also unfortunate that the Court did not take the opportunity to uphold California’s Proposition 8 but instead decided not to rule on the matter. The common good of all, especially our children, depends upon a society that strives to uphold the truth of marriage. Now is the time to redouble our efforts in witness to this truth. These decisions are part of a public debate of great consequence. The future of marriage and the well-being of our society hang in the balance.