"Now, those who deny that marriage is holy, and who relegate it, stripped of all holiness, among the class of common secular things, uproot thereby the foundations of nature, not only resisting the designs of Providence, but, so far as they can, destroying the order that God has ordained. No one, therefore, should wonder if from such insane and impious attempts there spring up a crop of evils pernicious in the highest degree both to the salvation of souls and to the safety of the commonwealth."
– Excerpt from Pope Leo XIII "On Christian Marriage" (1880)
 |
| Cuomo and live-in girlfriend Sandra Lee after both received communion from the Bishop of Albany Jan 2, 2011 |
Archbishop Dolan of New York has published a statement on his blog against legalization of "gay marriage", but in my mind his statement is weak and deeply flawed. He seems to be saying that gay couples should have all the legal rights of a married couple except that their relationship shouldn't be called a marriage. This is basically the "civil union" concept which we have seen is just an intermediate step towards gay marriage. Why for example should a gay sex partner be entitled to health insurance? Who will ultimately pay for this added benefit? What will keep someone from declaring to be a "partner" just in order to get the benefits?
And not surprisingly, Cuomo is also pro-abortion and supported by Planned Parenthood. Dr. Edward Peters, a top expert in Catholic Church law said, "based on what is widely reported about the governor’s consistent support for abortion in New York, I see no other way to interpret his abortion-related conduct except as sufficient to warrant withholding of holy Communion from him under Canon 915." Cardinal Raymond Burke, who heads the highest court at the Vatican said, "We find self-professed Catholics, for example, who sustain and support the right of a woman to procure the death of the infant in her womb, or the right of two persons of the same sex to the recognition which the State gives to a man and a woman who have entered into marriage. It is not possible to be a practicing Catholic and to conduct oneself publicly in this manner."
I have to say that I'm very disappointed in Archbishop Dolan. Not only is he the Archbishop of New York, but he is also the recently elected head of the American Bishops. He needs to demonstrate more leadership on this issue. In addition, to everything else there has been an ongoing controversy over whether Governor Cuomo should be allowed to receive communion since he is divorced and living with his girlfriend. The teachings of the Catholic Church are quite clear on this matter and yet no one in the New York Catholic hierarchy has stepped up and confronted Governor Cuomo. Is excommunication a thing of the past?
In contrast former New York Giant David Tyree (who is Christian but not Catholic) has come out with the following strong and heartfelt video statement in support of marriage as defined by human society throughout history. He is very clear that underlining his support of marriage is his strong religious beliefs. And he states clearly that changing the definition of marriage will have profound effects on American society and our practice of religion.
Related articles:
Former New York Giant David Tyree explained his use of the word "anarchy" in describing the impact of "homosexual marriage":
ReplyDelete“Anarchy involves confusion, lawlessness, social disorder,” Tyree said. “And I believe that the backbone of society is law. Well, what is the backbone of law? It’s morality. It’s what we deem to be right or wrong.”
Marriage one man ,One woman ,that's the way it's always been. From the garden of Eden until now.
ReplyDelete