Sydney, Australia, Sep 14, 2017 / 09:23 am
At the start of a voter survey being conducted on same-sex marriage in Australia, the country's bishops have called for a month of prayer and fasting for the strengthening of marriage and the family.
In a video message for the Catholic Marriage and Family Council, Bishop Michael Kennedy of the Diocese of Armidale said that he invited the whole country to pray and fast for families and marriage during the month of October.
"We pray and fast in a special way for our nation's leaders, we pray that they will uphold God's plan for marriage in our nation," Bishop Kennedy said.
This week, the Australian government sent out a ballot survey by mail to voters, on whether they would want the country to redefine marriage to recognize gay unions. Voters are encouraged to return their ballots by Oct. 27, and the final deadline for ballots is Nov. 7.