Washington Archdiocese Regrets the DC Vote Legalizing “Same-Sex Marriage”

The Washington, DC, City Council voted this week to redefine “marriage” by legalizing “same-sex marriage” in the nation’s capital, handing supporters a victory after recent defeats in Maine, New York, and New Jersey.

Mayor Adrian Fenty has promised to sign the bill, which passed 11-2, and gay couples could begin “marrying” as early as March. The vote was the second of two required on the measure, which was first introduced nearly a year ago.
Congress, which has final say over Washington’s laws, could reject it, but Democratic leaders have suggested they are reluctant to do so.

The bill had overwhelming support among council members and was expected to pass, though opponents have vowed to try to get Congress or voters to overturn it.

The Washington Archdiocese expressed regret after this was approved despite church opposition and without protecting religious freedom.

“Since this legislation was first introduced in October, the Archdiocese of Washington opposed the redefinition of marriage based on the core teaching of the Catholic Church that the complementarity of man and woman is intrinsic to the definition of marriage,” said an archdiocesan statement Dec. 15.

However, the archdiocese said that because “the City Council was committed to legalizing same-sex marriages,” it had advocated for a bill that would balance that action with protecting religious freedom.

The archdiocesan statement noted that the district now joins a handful of states where legislatures or courts “have redefined marriage to include persons of the same sex.”

The Washington Archdiocese opposed any effort to redefine marriage as other than that between a man and a woman.

The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a permanent union between one man and one woman. 

But archdiocesan officials also argued that the bill would restrict the free exercise of religion and would affect the ability of its Catholic Charities agency to work with the city in serving the poor.

The Dec. 15 archdiocesan statement said the archdiocese and Catholic Charities “are deeply committed to serving those in need, regardless of race, creed, gender, ethnic origin or sexual orientation. This commitment is integral to our Catholic faith and will remain unchanged into the future.”

“Religious organizations have long been eligible to provide social services in our nation’s capital and have not been excluded simply because of their religious character,” the statement said. “This is because the choice of provider has focused on the ability to deliver services effectively and efficiently.”

“We are committed to serving the needs of the poor and look forward to working in partnership with the District of Columbia consistent with the mission of the Catholic Church,” it said.

As we already informed in The Americano, efforts to legalize same-sex marriage also are under way in New Jersey.

 The New Jersey bishops, along with a large coalition of rabbis and evangelical and Baptist ministers, have strongly voiced the position that marriage can only be defined as a union between one man and one woman.

The Americano / Agencies

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