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Straight Guy with the Catholic Eye: Same-sex 'marriage'; Two controversial Catholic organizations

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By Matt Abbott

Same-sex "marriage" is here. Well, just in Massachusetts, actually. For now.

On May 17, I attended a press conference sponsored by the Coalition to Protect Marriage, a group of Chicago-area church and pro-family leaders. The conference was--surprise, surprise--interrupted early on by a handful of loud homosexual activists. Needless to say, that got the attention of the media.

Ah, well.

The following is the statement given to the media by long-time pro-life, pro-family activist Mary Anne Hackett, president of Catholic Citizens of Illinois (www.catholiccitizens.org):

"To the Governor, Mayor, Courts, Legislators and Citizens of the State of Illinois:

"Catholic Citizens of Illinois, an independent organization of Catholic laity, is participating in this Rally in Protect Marriage to give our support to the importance of recognizing marriage as an institution between one man and one woman.

"We are in full support of traditional marriage and oppose any efforts to redefine marriage or to permit civil unions, domestic partnerships, or any other group of persons to be established as equal in privilege and rights to the institution of marriage.

"The teaching of the Catholic Church on marriage and the complementarity of the sexes reiterates a truth that is evident to right reason and recognized as such by all major cultures of the world. Marriage is not just any relationship between human beings. It was established by the Creator with its own nature, essential properties and purpose.

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"God has willed to give the union of man and woman a special participation his work of creation. Therefore, complementarity and fruitfulness belong to the very nature of marriage. There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and family. Marriage is holy, while homosexual acts go against the natural moral law. Homosexual acts close the sexual act to the gift of life. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

"The principles of respect and non-discrimination cannot be invoked to support recognition of homosexual unions. The denial of social and legal status of marriage to forms of cohabitation that are not and cannot be marital is not opposed to justice; on the contrary, justice requires it. Society owes its continued survival the family, founded on marriage. The common good requires that laws recognize, promote and protect marriage as the basis of the family, the primary unit of society.

"This statement has relied on the recent document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons. Catholic Citizens of Illinois is in full support of the teachings of the Catholic Church."

Amen!

Two controversial Catholic organizations

Opus Dei and the Legion of Christ are two popular yet controversial Catholic organizations. I am not a member of either one. I would, however, like to hear from readers on this subject. The following are pertinent links:

www.legionofchrist.org

www.regainnetwork.org

www.opusdei.org

www.odan.org