The Bishops of the Catholic dioceses of New Jersey have issued a joint statement defending marriage as the lifelong union of one man and one woman, while voicing strong objections to efforts underway in the state to redefine marriage to include other relationships.
The joint statement, “The Call to Marriage Is Woven Deeply into the Human Spirit,” is being released this weekend in parishes in the Catholic dioceses of Newark, Trenton, Camden, Metuchen, Paterson and the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic. The dioceses together serve more than 3 million Catholics in 21 New Jersey counties.
The bishops reiterate the Church’s teaching that marriage has been established with its own nature, properties and purpose, and therefore cannot be altered for political or social reasons.
“God Himself is the author of marriage. Marriage as a union of man and woman existed long before any nation, religion, or law was established. The marital union is the human and social institution upon which civilization has always been structured,” they state.
The bishops in their statement stress that the imperative of preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman marriage is not a private matter or confined to those of one particular religious belief, but is an obligation for all of society, including government, because of its beneficial impact on children and the common good.
“The marital union between a man and a woman is the foundation of the family and the family is the foundation of society. Marriage is singular in its importance as a public institution. No other voluntary relationship can be regarded as the equivalent of marriage, which is unique in its stability, the environment it provides for the development of families, and the protection it accords spouses and children. Marriage is not merely an article of the Catholic faith, but a foundational element of the common good.”
The bishops emphasize that the marriage question cannot be seen as a debate about equality or rights. Rather, they claim, given its nature and purpose, justice actually requires that marriage be viewed differently than all other relationships.
While the bishops state that it is impossible to sanction “same sex” marriages, they pointedly reject any discrimination against men and women with same-sex attraction and stress that they are to be treated in a way that respects their God-given dignity.
They also note that in New Jersey, same sex couples already have the ability to obtain the same benefits and rights that the State of New Jersey grants to heterosexual married couples. The Civil Union Act that took effect on February 19, 2007, for example, requires all employers in New Jersey to provide to a civil union partner of an employee any and all employee benefits that the employer provides to the spouse of a married employee.
Last November, Patrick Brannigan, executive director of the New Jersey Catholic Conference, testified on behalf of the New Jersey bishops before the Civil Union Commission. He noted then that only eight complaints had been filed with the Division of Civil Rights claiming that the Civil Union Act was not working. “That small number of complaints actually is testimony that the Act is working,” he said.
The New Jersey bishops have spoken out repeatedly in defense of marriage. In February 2007 and again in February 2008 they issued a joint letter on marriage and called for a day of prayer for marriage. In fall 2008, a DVD sponsored by the New Jersey Catholic Conference, “One Man and One Woman: Marriage and the Common Good,” was made available to parishes throughout the state.
In a letter to parishioners timed with the release of the DVD, Bishop Joseph Galante of the Diocese of Camden wrote, “As Catholics, we cannot stand silent with marriage in crisis. While we must offer prayerful support and pastoral care to strengthen existing marriages and help prepare couples properly for marriage through our marriage preparation programs, we cannot fail to speak out in defense of the vocation and sacrament of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”
Earlier this year, Iowa became the fifth state after California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont to permit “same-sex marriage.” While Proposition 8 halted same sex marriage in California, a federal lawsuit has now been filed to jettison existing marriage laws. Meanwhile, Maine and New Hampshire in the months ahead will permit “same sex marriage.”
Proponents of “same sex marriage” are working to galvanize public support in New Jersey for a radical reworking of marriage and the New Jersey legislature is expected to vote on the issue after the November elections in a lame duck session. The Catholic dioceses of New Jersey will launch a petition drive in September and October in each parish, urging legislators to maintain the existing definition of marriage.
“The threat to marriage that the New Jersey bishops have warned about for years is now pressing in with greater intensity. We must redouble our efforts to preserve the traditional understanding of marriage for the sake of our children, our families and the common good,” said Pat Brannigan of the New Jersey Catholic Conference.