U.S. bishops view Supreme Court's rulings as 'tragic day for marriage'
June 27, 2013: 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, in a joint statement.
The federal Defense
of Marriage Act, defining marriage as between one man and one woman, is unconstitutional
under the Equal Protection Clause, the Supreme Court ruled June 26 in a 5-4 opinion.
In a separate case, the court sent back to lower courts a challenge to California's
Proposition 8, the voter-approved initiative barring same-sex marriage. The apparent
result is that same-sex marriage will again be legal in California as soon as the
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals formally dismisses the case, as the high court instructed
it.
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.”