Mexico City, Mexico, Dec 18, 2007 / 11:46 am (CNA).- The Archbishop of Monterrey, Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega, said this week that the family is “an institution that is natural, that is the basis of society,” and he warned those who oppose a new law that would protect it not to attempt to “supplant such an important institution as the family.”

According to the Mexican daily El Porvenir, the cardinal expressed his support for a law in the state of Nuevo Leon that would bolster the traditional family, saying “there should be dialogue and all opinions should be heard” so that “with serenity and objectivity all voices can be heard and that what the vast majority wants will prevail. I am sure this is what the people of Nuevo Leon need, because the most important institution of a society is what is at stake.”

Asked about the opposition to the proposal by homosexuals in Nuevo Leon, Cardinal Robles said, “If they are minorities, the needs they have should be guaranteed in another way.”

“(These minorities) have a right to make their voices heard, but they do not have the right to substitute an institution that is natural, that is the basis of society.  If they need their rights to be recognized, let them put forth proposals and have them be voted on, but let’s not have them supplant such an important institution as the family.”

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