By Deacon Keith Fournier
(c) Third Millennium, LLC
Catholic Online

On Monday, March 14, 2005, Judge Richard Kramer of the San Francisco Superior Court decided that California’s “ban on Gay Marriage” has no “rational purpose.” The Judge likened what he called this “ban” to the old segregation laws. Immediately, the cultural engineers seeking to redefine marriage hailed this ruling as “historic” and likened it to a 1948 State Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage Of course that ruling, which correctly overturned discrimination that prevented a man and woman from different races from marrying, said nothing at all about homosexuals trying to make their relationships the equivalent of marriage. This kind of Orwellian doublespeak is simply one more salvo in the propaganda effort of this new Cultural Revolution. A new offensive is underway.

On July 31, 2003 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released “Considerations regarding Proposals to Give Legal recognition To Unions between Homosexual persons.” Along with millions of Catholics, other Christians, other people of faith and good will, I welcomed this clear articulation of truth and the manner with which the document was written. The document presented nothing new. It simply restated the unbroken tradition of the Catholic Christian Church for two thousand years:

“The present Considerations do not contain new doctrinal elements; they seek rather to reiterate the essential points on this question and provide arguments drawn from reason which could be used by Bishops in preparing more specific interventions, appropriate to the different situations throughout the world, aimed at protecting and promoting the dignity of marriage, the foundation of the family, and the stability of society, of which this institution is a constitutive element. The present Considerations are also intended to give direction to Catholic politicians by indicating the approaches to proposed legislation in this area which would be consistent with Christian conscience”

However, it came at a critical time. Let’s face it; there is a social revolutionary movement underway. It is being led by those on the fringes of the homosexual activist community who want to force legal recognition of homosexual unions, and make those unions equivalent to marriage. Such a movement not only undermines marriage and family, it threatens the civil order and the common good.

We also have serious confusion within our own Catholic and broader Christian community concerning all of this. Purporting to speak for the Church, or to promote some “new way”, some Christian voices, (some deeply confused or misinformed, others deluded or disingenuous, and some overtly rebellious) undermine the Church, do violence to the truth, cause scandal, injure the common good and put their own souls in jeopardy. Numbered among these folks are some unfaithful Catholic public officials who have already hidden behind a “public/private” duplicity concerning of their absolute duty to defend life. Now they are doing the same thing by failing to defend marriage and family and thus undermining the common good. The document could not be clearer in speaking to these folks:

“10. If it is true that all Catholics are obliged to oppose the legal recognition of homosexual unions, Catholic politicians are obliged to do so in a particular way, in keeping with their responsibility as politicians. Faced with legislative proposals in favor of homosexual unions, Catholic politicians are to take account of the following ethical indications. When legislation in favor of the recognition of homosexual unions is proposed for the first time in a legislative assembly, the Catholic law-maker has a moral duty to express his opposition clearly and publicly and to vote against it. To vote in favor of a law so harmful to the common good is gravely immoral.”

The Judge who rendered this horrid decision is a Catholic. The Mayor of San Francisco, whose illegal actions in allegedly performing “marriage” ceremonies two years ago gave rise to it, is also a Catholic. The Mayor held a news conference, flanked by homosexual supporters, to welcome the ruling.

The Church is not simply speaking to Catholics in this powerfully written, clear, undeniable ringing defense of marriage and opposition to all efforts to equalize or legitimize homosexual practice or unions. It is not only speaking to other Christians or people of faith. It is speaking to all people because the truth about marriage is meant for all men and women: “Since this question relates to the natural moral law, the arguments that follow are addressed not only to those who believe in Christ, but to all persons committed to promoting and defending the common good of society.”

The document presents a lucid, solid, powerful defense of the truth about marriage and ...