Pope: Authorities must support religious aspect of marriage

Articles: Pope: Authorities must support religious aspect of marriage

Posted by admin on Wednesday, June 02, 2004 - 03:43 AM

Pope John Paul II said Saturday the Catholic Church needs to do more to help encourage lasting marriages, saying the secular world has lost sight of the religious aspects of matrimony. “Many today have a clear understanding of the secular nature of marriage, which includes the rights and responsibilities modern societies hold as determining factors for a marital contract,” John Paul said during an audience with U.S. bishops from Texas and Oklahoma. But, he said, there are “some who appear to lack a proper understanding of the intrinsically religious dimension of this covenant. Modern society rarely pays heed to the permanent nature of marriage,” the pope said, in an apparent reference to divorce, which the Catholic Church forbids. In recent months, John Paul has denounced what he has called “attempts to reduce marriage to a mere individual contract,” and has urged authorities to stop approving gay marriages. His speech on Saturday about family life contained no reference to the debate raging in the United States over decisions by some authorities to allow marriage between gays.
Ariz. priest refuses bishop’s order to remove name from pro-gay letter MESA, Ariz. (AP) — A retired Catholic priest said he won’t comply with an order to remove his name from a letter calling for full inclusion of gays in religious and community life. In a letter dated May 16, Rev. Andre Boulanger of Phoenix acknowledged two letters from Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted, who asked that Boulanger withdraw his signature and support of the “No Longer Silent Phoenix Declaration.” The declaration was also signed by eight other Phoenix Diocese priests and other Arizona clergy. Boulanger said that centuries of church documents that “refer to homosexuality as an intrinsic disorder, a pathological constitution, a perversion of nature, etc.,” and “objectively sinful” are based on human science for 1,500 years ago and earlier. “The best science that we have to this date tells us that homosexuality is not a disorder or pathology, but that it is a variation of the human sexual expression,” he said. Fallout from gay crisis includes major proposals for Episcopalians LONDON (AP) — A written constitution, new powers for the archbishop of Canterbury, a looser federation of national churches — these ideas reportedly are among proposals being considered by a commission that is seeking a way to hold the Anglican Communion together. There’s no obvious formula for reconciliation among the world’s 77 million Anglicans and Episcopalians. Some support the elevation of V. Gene Robinson, a gay man living with a partner, as a bishop in the Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of Anglicanism. Many more regard this, and the ordination of other openly gay clergy, to be a repudiation of the Bible and Anglican tradition. Anglicanism’s split could worsen June 2 if the Anglican Church of Canada General Synod approves a proposed bill authorizing all bishops and dioceses to sanction blessings of “committed same-sex unions” if they wish. Both sides in Presbyterian same-sex marriage dispute disappointed CINCINNATI (AP) — A Presbyterian Church (USA) minister who resigned in a dispute over same-sex marriages and the church member who sought to rebuke him for performing them said last week they foresee a time of tumult that could split the 2.5 million-member denomination. The church’s highest court declined last week to address constitutional questions regarding same-sex marriage, dismissing the appeal of a lower court ruling that Rev. Stephen Van Kuiken did not violate church law by marrying same-sex couples. “My particular case cannot be overruled,” Van Kuiken said. “The only way they can deal with the implications of my case is to have an identical case run up through the system. That’s going to take a long time. Until that happens, it’s in effect; that’s going to cause a lot of consternation in the church.” The Cincinnati Presbytery, a cluster of Presbyterian churches in the Cincinnati area, appealed the lower church court ruling to the Permanent Judicial Commission of the General Assembly. Salvation Army, New York City at odds over gay health benefits NEW YORK — Officials at the Salvation Army are braced for a conflict with the city over a proposal that would force the group to offer health benefits to gay partners and unwed spouses of New York staffers, the New York Post reported last week. The Salvation Army, an evangelical Christian nonprofit organization, would give up $70 million a year in funding from the city if it relocated, according to the New York Post. Salvation Army officials said loss of that financing would jeopardize its programs serving 5 million city residents, the newspaper reported. The organization’s core beliefs include limiting marriage to heterosexual couples only, and the organization has said it will not change its policy on health benefits and will refuse to comply with the proposed law. Early this month, the City Council approved the proposed bill by a vote of 43 to 5, although the mayor threatens a veto, the Post stated.

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