Illinois already has same-sex civil unions that give same-sex couples all the legal benefits of marriage.
Now, proponents of redefined marriage are attempting to legalize same-sex “marriage” in Illinois during the lame-duck session.
Same-sex civil unions have already forced Catholic and Lutheran adoption agencies in the state to shut down.
Redefining marriage will further threaten the religious freedom of those who understand the true meaning of marriage and will further erode our country’s ability to sustain a healthy marriage culture.
Francis Cardinal George of Chicago is urging Catholics in Illinois to take action by contacting their lawmakers and urging them to protect marriage:
Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George and his six auxiliary bishops officially entered Illinois’ gay marriage fray Tuesday, issuing a letter that urges parishioners to contact state legislators and voice opposition to a legalization bill that could face a vote this week.
“Civil laws that establish ‘same-sex marriage’ create a legal fiction,” George and the bishops wrote in a letter sent to priests Tuesday. “The state has no power to create something that nature itself tells us is impossible.” [The Chicago Tribune]
It’s good to see reporters beginning to grasp that the Church’s defense of marriage is rooted in both faith AND reason:
While traditional marriage advocates have cited Scripture as the basis of their objections to civil unions and gay marriage, Roman Catholic leaders have been highlighting their belief that same-sex relationships violate natural law.
According to the tradition of natural law, every human being must seek a fundamental “good” that corresponds to the natural order to flourish. Natural-law proponents say heterosexual intercourse between a married man and a woman serves two intertwined good purposes: to procreate and to express a deep, abiding love. For that reason, they say, homosexual relationships are not equal to heterosexual ones.
Cardinal George also reminds everyone that just because the Church is pro-marriage does not mean she is “anti-gay”:
In George’s letter, he writes that despite the church’s objections to gay marriage, priests and parishioners should not alienate members of the gay community, especially relatives. He said the church is not “anti-gay.”
“Does this mean that the Church is anti-gay? No, for the Church welcomes everyone, respects each one personally and gives to each the spiritual means necessary to convert to God’s ways and maintain friendship with Christ,” he wrote.
“The Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Chicago has consistently condemned violence toward or hatred of homosexually oriented men and women. Good pastoral practice encourages families to accept all their children and not break relationships with them.”
Cardinal George also reminds Catholics that we all have a stake in protecting marriage:
In the letter, George cautions parishioners about the negative consequences for gay marriage opponents if same-sex marriage becomes the law of the land.
“We will all have to pretend to accept something that is contrary to the common sense of the human race,” he wrote. “Those who continue to distinguish between genuine marital union and same-sex arrangements will be regarded in law as discriminatory, the equivalent of bigots.”
If you live in Illinois please TAKE ACTION by contacting your state lawmakers through this form.