“Tragic Day for Marriage and our Nation,” State
U.S. Bishops
June 26, 2013
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.
“Marriage
is the only institution that brings together a man and a woman for life, providing
any child who comes from their union with the secure foundation of a mother and
a father.
“Our culture has taken for granted for far too long what
human nature, experience, common sense, and God’s wise design all confirm: the
difference between a man and a woman matters, and the difference between a mom
and a dad matters. While the culture has failed in many ways to be
marriage-strengthening, this is no reason to give up. Now is the time to
strengthen marriage, not redefine it.
“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.
“Now that the Supreme Court has issued its decisions,
with renewed purpose we call upon all of our leaders and the people of this
good nation to stand steadfastly together in promoting and defending the unique
meaning of marriage: one man, one woman, for life. We also ask for prayers as
the Court’s decisions are reviewed and their implications further clarified.”
