Cardinal
Timothy Dolan, the Chief of Chiefs in the Roman communion, responded quickly to
Obama’s declaration supporting homoerotic unions. In doing preliminary research, it appears that—nationwide—many
Roman bishops are doing the same thing. The Roman communion is responding more clearly and with defintion than Western Anglicans. Here’s an update from the “Catholic News Agency.”
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| Cardinal Timothy Dolan |
Cardinal Dolan: Obama's 'gay marriage' support undermines
society
By
Michelle Bauman
.- Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan is charging President Barack
Obama with undermining the “very cornerstone of society” by supporting “gay
marriage.”
Cardinal
Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, described the
president’s endorsement as “deeply saddening.”
The
bishops “cannot be silent in the face of words or actions that would undermine
the institution of marriage, the very cornerstone of our society,” he said in a
May 9 statement. “The people of this country, especially our children, deserve
better.”
Cardinal
Dolan said that the announcement was “not surprising” based on the Obama
administration’s previous actions, which “erode or ignore the unique meaning of
marriage.”
He
called for prayer and efforts to “promote and protect marriage” in order to
“serve the true good of all persons.”
In
an unprecedented move, Obama announced his support for “same-sex marriage” in a
May 9 interview with ABC News' Robin Roberts.
“I’ve
just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and
affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married,” he said.
The
announcement came just days after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden told NBC's
David Gregory that he is “absolutely comfortable” with the idea of homosexual
couples marrying.
Previously,
Obama had stopped short of endorsing “gay marriage,” saying instead that he
opposes discrimination against gay individuals but that his views on the
question of marriage were “evolving.”
However,
his actions as president have won the praise of gay advocacy groups.
His
administration announced in Feb. 2011 that it would not uphold the 1996 Defense
of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman
for federal purposes.
He
also signed a law repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, allowing
homosexuals to serve openly in the military.
Obama’s
latest statement places him in firm disagreement with presumptive GOP
presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who has signed a pledge to uphold marriage as
the union of one man and one woman.
Romney
was quick to voice his opposition to Obama’s stance.
"I
have the same view on marriage that I had when I was governor and that I’ve
expressed many times,” he said at a May 9 campaign event in Oklahoma. “I
believe marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman.”
He
explained that states can “make decisions with regards to domestic partnership
benefits, such as hospital visitation rights,” but “marriage itself is a
relationship between a man and a woman.”
Acknowledging
that the issue is “a very tender and sensitive” one about which “other people
have differing views,” Romney reiterated his own conviction, which he has held
“since running for office.”
Several
political commentators have suggested that Obama’s support for “gay marriage”
does not reflect the views of the American people and could have a significant
political impact in the November 6, 2012 election.
“Marriage
was created long before any government came into existence,” said Catholic
Advocate president Matt Smith.
He
warned that if Obama’s advocacy for same-sex “marriage” succeeds, “Catholic
institutions could be forced once again to violate our beliefs.”
“Many
faithful Catholics were fooled by clever political rhetoric in 2008,” added
Smith. “This year, the anti-Catholic record of the Obama administration should
inform their vote.”
So
far, 30 states have passed constitutional amendments banning “gay marriage,”
including North Carolina, where voters approved such a measure by an
overwhelming margin on May 8.
Tony
Perkins, president of the D.C.-based Family Research Council, pointed to the
recent North Carolina vote as evidence that “redefining marriage remains
outside the mainstream of American politics, especially in the critical
battleground states and among minority voters.”
He
observed that the North Carolina amendment received over 60 percent of the vote
in majority-black counties.
A
Pew Research Center survey in April 2012 found that only 39 percent of African
Americans are in favor of “gay marriage.”
Perkins
noted that 10 of 16 key battleground states have passed amendments to protect
marriage. He said that Obama’s announcement “ensures that marriage will again
be a major issue in the presidential election.”
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