Bishops got tough reaction from Supreme Court of Canada

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops were met with skepticism from Canada’s highest-ranking justices when they presented their brief against same-sex marriage before the Supreme Court of Canada Oct. 7.

The bishops were among the groups to intervene at the Supreme Court in the federal government’s same-sex reference case. The court heard arguments for and against same-sex marriage Oct. 6 to 8, which it is expected to consider before making its nonbinding legal opinion on a draft federal bill to legalize same-sex marriage. The decision is expected in several months.

In his arguments, the lawyer for the Canadian bishops’ conference, William Sammon, said marriage as the union of a man and a woman is “ideal” for society. Justice Jack Major challenged Sammon, saying: “The ideal you speak of becomes more and more idealist, doesn’t it?”

Justice Ian Binnie challenged a brief presented by the Christian group Focus on the Family, which argued that the main purpose of marriage is procreation and the raising of children. Binnie dismissed the argument, saying: “To reduce the whole thing to procreation seems to be an oversimplification.”

The Islamic Society of North America also presented a brief, which stated that same-sex marriage violates the freedom-of-religion guarantees in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. But Justice Rosalie Abella, who was appointed to the high court last week, said: “There are many religious institutions who are not in favor of divorce, but we have divorce available. How is it a diminishment of religious freedoms?”

The government of the province of Alberta, the only province to present arguments against same-sex marriage, said same-sex marriage pushes the “natural limits” of marriage and would require a constitutional amendment since the power over marriage bestowed on the federal government at the nation’s founding did not include homosexuals.

Our mission is the truth. Join us!

Your monthly donation will help our team continue reporting the truth, with fairness, integrity, and fidelity to Jesus Christ and his Church.