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Passage of the bill legalizing same-sex marriage in New York state was “a sad moment in our state’s history,” the bishops of New York state said in a message to Catholics statewide.
“We bishops share with so many of you deep disappointment in the presumption of our state’s elected officials in the radical redefinition of marriage,” they wrote. They referred to the redefinition as a “radical act of social engineering.”
The bishops called Catholics to “renewal” in the Church, the community and the home, in order to show the true meaning of marriage more clearly. They also said that legalization of same-sex marriage causes Catholics “to be in opposition” to the culture in which they live.
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The message was dated June 24, the day the state Senate passed the same-sex marriage bill by a vote of 33 to 29. The Assembly already had passed the measure.
The victory for those seeking marriage status for same-sex unions came after a bitter struggle in which constituents on both sides of the issue put intense pressure on legislators. Those who supported traditional marriage, including Archbishop Dolan, were criticized and vilified by their opponents.
Catholics across the state had lobbied their legislators by letter, e-mail, telephone and in person—and, as the bishops noted, some used social media like Facebook and Twitter. Many traveled to Albany from throughout the state to attend rallies, and prayer campaigns were widespread.
Much of the advocacy was coordinated by the New York State Catholic Conference through its Catholic Advocacy Network, an online resource through which Catholics are kept informed of developments via e-mail and can send e-mail messages to their legislators.
Dennis Poust, spokesman for the state Catholic Conference, told CNY, “We’re extraordinarily grateful to all the members of our Catholic Advocacy Network who called and e-mailed by the thousands in support of our position. It really was a courageous stand, because the media have taken to calling anyone who supports authentic marriage a bigot or a homophobe.”
He added, “It was a very aggressive campaign of intimidation” in which defenders of traditional marriage “subjected themselves to ridicule” for their convictions.
He called the outcome “disheartening.” But quoting from the bishops’ message, he added that Catholics are called to “resist” the culture in which they live “when it preaches things that are not true.”
“We’re always called to the truth,” Poust said.
The bishops wrote in their message that they are “heartened by the vigor with which so many faithful Catholic New Yorkers fought to preserve the true meaning of marriage.”
“Many surely believed that Catholics would simply shrug their shoulders and go along with this radical act of social engineering,” they wrote. “Yet you did not do that. Together with people of other faith traditions, you spoke out.”
One of the strongest and most outspoken critics of the same-sex marriage bill has been State Sen. Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr., a Pentecostal minister and pastor in the South Bronx who was the only Democratic senator to oppose the bill. He organized a rally in the Bronx May 15 that drew about 3,000 persons, most of them Hispanic, who turned out despite rainy weather, cheering and carrying signs in support of traditional marriage.
Archbishop Dolan has been unrelenting in his defense of traditional marriage. He wrote in his blog, “This is not about denying rights. It is about upholding a truth about the human condition. Marriage is not simply a mechanism for delivering benefits: It is the union of a man and a woman in a loving, permanent, life-giving union to procreate children. Please don’t vote to change that.”
He also wrote about the right of children “to be raised in a family with a mom and a dad.”
Other faith groups that have been defending traditional marriage include evangelical Christians and Orthodox Jews.
The bishops wrote in their message that “this is not just a ‘Catholic issue.’ ” They added, however, that for Catholics “there is particular disappointment with those elected officials who publicly profess fidelity to our Catholic religion but whose public stance is at odds with a fundamental teaching of that faith.”
One of the grave concerns about same-sex marriage is the effect that it will have on religious freedom. Edward Mechmann, assistant director of the archdiocesan Family Life/Respect Life Office, spoke on the topic at the “Mayday for Marriage” rally in Albany May 24.
In an interview later, he spoke with CNY about consequences that could follow legalization (CNY, June 2). He noted, for example, that Catholic Charities in the archdioceses of Boston and Washington, D.C., no longer offer adoption services because they could be sued for discrimination for refusing to place children with same-sex couples.
There are “dozens” of state and local laws that make distinctions based on marital status, with the understanding that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. All of those laws “can and will be used against us,” Mechmann said.
