Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Marriage Protection Amendment, measure, S.J. Res. 1, was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee May 18 and is expected to be taken up by the full Senate the week of June 4.
The wording is: "SECTION 1. This article may be cited as the ‘Marriage Protection Amendment’. SECTION 2. Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman."
As your bishop, I encourage you to express your support for the Marriage Protection Amendment.
God created men and women to be sexually complementary so that, through their expression of conjugal love, the human family, and, thus, all of society, would flourish. It is clear in our society today that children need and, indeed, hunger for the consistent presence and example of a loving father and a loving mother. For some, this is not possible, due to death or divorce, and single parents are to be commended for their efforts to provide stable homes and Christian examples for their children.
It is unjust, however, to force children to live and grow in a home where the sexual complementarity designed by God is brushed aside as "out of style" or "not with the times". God’s original intent for our lives will never be out of style. The truth of our sexuality cannot be denied. God created us, male and female, equal yet unique, and for each other. In His great plan, He created man and woman for life -- for eternal life and to serve as co-creators with Him to bring human life into the world. To label any union, other than that between one man and one woman, as marriage is a lie about who we are and what God calls us to be.
As you express your support for this amendment, it is critical to note that the wording of the amendment must not be weakened, in order that the institution of marriage will be fully safeguarded in our society.
For more information, please read the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ statement "Promote, Preserve, Protect Marriage" which can be found at http://www.usccbpublishing.org/client/client_pdfs/Marriage.pdf.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, D.D.
Bishop of Fargo
Printed with permission from the Diocese of Fargo.
