Archbishop Niederauer Statement on Same Sex Marriage
In a recent decision the Supreme Court of the State of California ruled unconstitutional an initiative passed by California voters eight years ago, defining marriage as “between one man and one woman." In its opinion the Court majority declared same-sex marriage legal in this state.
I wish to state the belief and practice of the Catholic Church about marriage, to support the nature of marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and to guide Catholics in their response to this present issue and the media coverage given to it.
The Catholic Church teaches that God created the world and that marriage has a unique place in God’s creation and his gift of human life. Our Savior Jesus Christ expresses this belief in the Gospel of St. Matthew: “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” (19:5-6)
The purposes of marriage, then, are the mutual loving support of husband and wife, and their service of human life by bringing children into the world and raising them with cherishing love and true wisdom.
This meaning of marriage is rooted in history and culture, and it has preceded the existence of any nation or state. Marriage is not a design of two persons, with no relationship to family and society. Society and civil authority are obliged to protect and support marriage and family life, not to revise, redesign or alter them. Furthermore, it is not necessary to reinvent the institution of marriage in order to enable citizens to own property jointly, to designate a beneficiary or to choose someone to make health decisions when one cannot do so oneself.
Nothing in the teaching of the Church about marriage is meant to be discriminatory toward any person or persons. The Church teaches that every person is a child of God and must be treated with respect and dignity. Again and again the Catholic Church has stated that persons with a homosexual orientation must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity, and that all forms of violence, scorn and hatred against women and men who are homosexual must be condemned. We believe that every person, regardless of sexual inclination, is called to holiness and should be encouraged to take an active role in the faith community and live according to its teachings.
In conclusion, I respectfully point out to those who govern us that the overwhelming majority of our sisters and brothers in the human family around the world define marriage as a union between one man and one woman and they value this meaning of marriage as part of the common moral heritage of humanity. More profoundly, for us as Catholic Christians, marriage between one man and one woman is the gift of a wise and loving Creator.
Most Rev. George H. Niederauer
Archbishop of San Francisco
