In light of the June 26 United States Supreme Court ruling that made same-sex marriage constitutional in all states of the US, here is a sampling of reaction collected this week by Catholic News Service.
“Marriage as the union of one man and one woman is a truth that predates courts and constitutions. This understanding transcends cultures, religions and all time – it is the foundation of civilisation… men and women are not interchangeable. Marriage is not ours to define. History, nature and revelation all profess these truths. Today’s decision by the US Supreme Court changes none of this. The court deals with civil law, not revealed truth or religious faith. The court’s opinion rightly affirms the freedom of religious organisations to continue to express and teach the truth of marriage. Nonetheless, the court’s ruling has the potential to create circumstances in which the Church’s teaching and practices may be perceived to conflict with civil law.” – Archdiocese of Washington
“Going forward, the Supreme Court’s decision to redefine marriage will have a significant ripple effect upon the first amendment right to religious liberty. It sets the Church’s teaching about marriage in opposition to the law and will create inestimable conflicts between the state and religious persons and institutions. As the impact of the decision plays out over the coming weeks and months, the Catholic Church will continue to preach the truth about marriage and will promote, in the public square, this truth as what is good for society and our world.” – Catholic bishops of Michigan
“Marriage precedes the creation of states and by its nature remains the union of one man and one woman. No court, no law, and no amount of political correctness or wishful thinking can really change what marriage is. Men and women were designed by God in complementary relation to one another, and only a man and a woman can form a conjugal union that brings forth children. Today’s ruling blatantly ignores the fundamental right of all children to be raised, where possible, by a loving mother and a father in a stable home. The law should respect and protect every child’s basic rights.” – Catholic bishops of Colorado
“I join many voices in denouncing this decision. This misfortune now attempts on a national basis what the State of Illinois sought to do in 2013 in attempting to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples. It was an ‘attempt’ because the state has no moral authority to change what God has created. The government certainly has the legal power in civil law to coerce its definition, but that does not make it morally valid in the higher realm of supernatural realities.” – Bishop Thomas J Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois
“We fear the court’s decisions redefining marriage and the rights of the states will have a long-term corrosive effect on the institution of marriage which is the bedrock of our society. We pray that marriage between a man and a woman will remain a strong truth in our world. The common good of all, especially our children, depends upon a society that strives to uphold the truth of marriage.” – Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
“The decision issued today by the Supreme Court to effectively change the legal definition of marriage in the United States does not alter the unassailable truth that marriage is, and always will be, the life-long, life-giving union of one man and one woman.” – Archbishop Robert J Carlson of St Louis
“Today’s decision marks the capstone of a 20-year struggle by people committed to a vision of equality for same-sex couples. When the struggle began, the idea of same-sex marriage was an oxymoron. By the time the court took up the question, it was an inevitability. That change came about, not through clever arguments in court, but through the painstaking work of thousands of people across the country committed to an idea of equality, and willing to fight for it, in state legislatures, state courts, on state referenda, in their churches, at their dinner tables, and in their communities. The Supreme Court today did not so much change constitutional law as recognise that it had changed.” – Georgetown University Law Professor David Cole
“All persons have inviolable dignity and deserve love and respect. Unjust discrimination is always wrong. However, our commitment to marriage is a matter of justice and fidelity to our Creator’s original design. Marriage is the only institution uniting one man and one woman with each other and with any child who comes from their union. Redefining marriage furthers no one’s rights, least of all those of children. As bishops, we believe it is more vital than ever that we share the Church’s consistent witness to the truth about marriage, and we call on Catholics and those concerned for the common good to continue to pray, live and speak out with charity about the true nature of marriage. The truth cannot be marginalised.” – Catholic bishops of Virginia
“We respect the dignity of all persons, not wishing to undermine their pursuit of happiness but only to preserve and defend the gift of marriage as divinely revealed in Scripture and in natural law. Although we respectfully disagree with those who would define marriage otherwise, we firmly hold that all persons are loved by our compassionate God and deserve the respect and dignity that is inherently theirs as human beings. We acknowledge the right of our nation’s highest court to provide for a well-ordered society by establishing laws that protect the common good and safeguard the civil and contractual rights and privileges of its citizens. At the same time, we urge our lawmakers and judges to respect those institutions that are beyond state and federal jurisdiction, institutions such as sacramental marriage, that transcend civil law and whose origins precede the existence of the state and go beyond its competence.” – Diocese of Salt Lake City
“Just as Roe v Wade was not the final word (on abortion), neither will today’s decision be the end of the matter. Roe created, and continues to create, a crisis of conscience for doctors and other medical professionals who, as a matter of faith, cannot participate in abortions. What Roe did to the medical profession, today’s decision does to the rest of us. By redefining marriage, the Supreme Court has ensured that there will be Church-state conflict for generations to come.” – Bishop James V Johnston of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri
“The institution of marriage understood in its human, moral and legal dimensions, is a fundamental building block of any society. The protection of marriage and families is a shared responsibility for all of us… Certainly, every citizen of this land, regardless of their sexual orientation, deserves to be respected in their personal and civic life. But enshrining same-sex marriage in our constitutional system of governance has dangers that may become fully evident only over time. I can only express my disappointment with the decision and invite members of my own religious community to remember and reaffirm the fundamental truths of our faith about marriage… We should, as citizens and Catholics, both protect our own deeply held values and participate with civility and charity in the continuing national discussion about this decision.” – Cardinal Sean P O’Malley of Boston
“This court action is a decision that confers a civil entitlement to some people who could not claim it before. It does not resolve the moral debate that preceded it and will most certainly continue in its wake. The moral debate, however, must also include the way that we treat one another – especially those with whom we may disagree. We are all God’s children and are commanded to love one another. In many respects, that moral question is at least as consequential and weighty as is the granting of this civil entitlement… This decision has made my task as bishop more complex as I continue to uphold the teachings of my Church on the sacrament of matrimony and the equal transcendent dignity of every human person.” – Bishop Gregory J Hartmayer of Savannah, Georgia
“(The decision) is disappointing and troubling. The court expresses some beautiful and true thoughts about the ‘transcendent’ purposes of marriage and the importance of marriage as a ‘keystone’ of our social order. The court acknowledges that marriage has existed ‘for millennia and across civilisations’. So it is hard to understand how the court can feel so assured that it has the power to discard and rewrite the definition of marriage that has existed since the beginning of history – as the lifelong union of one man and one woman. This decision reflects a deep confusion about the meaning of marriage, the family and the human person; about individual liberty; and about the role of the courts and legislatures in our democratic system of self-government… As Catholics living in this democracy, our first duty always is to love and to reflect the mercy of God to all of our neighbours… Let us continue to work for the good of our society and to create a culture of life and love.” – Archbishop Jose H Gomez of Los Angeles
“As Catholics, we seek to uphold our traditional belief in marriage as a sacrament, a well-established and divinely revealed covenant between one man and one woman, a permanent and exclusive bond meant to provide a nurturing environment for children and the fundamental building block to a just society… We respect the dignity of all persons, not wishing to undermine their pursuit of happiness but only to preserve and defend the gift of marriage as divinely revealed in Scripture and in natural law… We urge our lawmakers and judges to respect those institutions that are beyond state and federal jurisdiction, institutions such as sacramental marriage, that transcend civil law and whose origins precede the existence of the state and go beyond its competence.” – Archbishop John C Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico
“Today’s decision from the US Supreme Court to redefine marriage represents a profound legal turning point in the contemporary and cultural understanding of spouses and family… The experience of same-sex attraction is a reality that calls for attention, sensitivity and pastoral care. While every person is called to love and deserves to be loved, today’s momentous decision will not change the truth of the Church’s teaching on marriage.” – Catholic bishops of Alaska
“Today, another wave of progress swept over our nation. A majority of the American people, and Catholics, will take consolation from the Supreme Court’s historic decision today, enshrining marriage equality as a civil right in all fifty states. Our hearts are filled with joy for our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender sisters and brothers, and their families, who have fought so long and so hard… As a Catholic, it is gratifying, but not surprising, to know that lay Catholics have been at the forefront of public opinion in supporting marriage equality… God does not have a preferential option of love for people by gender, race or sexual orientation. As Catholics, we experience an intimate spiritual understanding of this when we receive the Eucharist.” – Steve Krueger, president of Catholic Democrats
“While the government may control the issuing of marriage certificates, marriage remains unchangeably a coming together of the male and the female for their good, the good of children, and the good of society. This reality cannot be altered by legislator or judge. We encourage all people of good will to pray for our country and to support a culture of marriage that will help restore respect for God’s plan for the family.” – Catholic bishops of Kansas
“It is important to note that the Catholic Church has an abiding concern for the dignity of gay persons… The Church must extend support to all families, no matter their circumstances, recognising that we are all relatives, journeying through life under the careful watch of a loving God. It is also important to stress that the Supreme Court’s redefinition of civil marriage has no bearing on the Catholic Sacrament of Matrimony, in which the marriage of man and woman is a sign of the union of Christ and the Church. In upholding our traditional concept of marriage, we are called to support those who have entered into this sacred and loving bond with God and each other… Our aim in all of this will be to hold fast to an authentic understanding of marriage which has been written in the human heart, consolidated in history, and confirmed by the word of God.” – Archbishop Blase J Cupich of Chicago
“It does not change the Catholic Church’s teaching regarding the Sacrament of Matrimony, which beautifully joins a man and woman in a loving union that is permanent in commitment and open to God’s blessing of precious new life. This judgement, however, does not absolve either those who may approve or disapprove of this decision from the obligations of civility toward one another. Neither is it a licence for more venomous language or vile behaviour against those whose opinions continue to differ from our own. It is a decision that confers a civil entitlement to some people who could not claim it before. It does not resolve the moral debate… This moral debate must also include the way that we treat one another.” – Archbishop Wilton D Gregory of Atlanta
“The Catholic Church will continue to teach and preach the truth that marriage is a union of one man and one woman and encourage all people of good will to embrace the fullness of that truth. We will work to promote and strengthen marriage and families. We will strive to uphold the dignity of every human person, including persons who experience same-sex attraction, welcoming them as our brothers and sisters. The decision of the Supreme Court is an invitation to Catholics to proclaim the Gospel that sets all people free. I pray the Supreme Court’s decision will be an invitation for all people of good will to discuss respectfully what divides us and seek the common good of all, especially of families. I ask that those who disagree with the teachings of our Church may recognise our God-given freedom to live according to our faith and our consciences.” – Archbishop Joseph W Tobin of Indianapolis