"Marriage is not a matter of two consenting adults simply coming together for the state to ratify their romantic relationship," he said. "Rather, marriage is the only institution that unites a man and a woman to each other and to any children born of their union."
"It's child-centered, and its meaning is written in our nature," Archbishop Cordileone told the press. "It's either this, or it's nothing at all."
He stressed the need to continue working to increase educational efforts and to "build a renewed culture of marriage and the family."
Archbishop Lori applauded the passage of a referendum upholding the Dream Act in Maryland, allowing undocumented students to pay in-state tuition in schools throughout the state.
Although the measure met with significant opposition when it was first introduced into the legislature, the archbishop noted that "there was a change in the public's perception" after a public education campaign helped people understand how the law would benefit society.
He observed that this law continues in the Catholic Church's "long heritage of offering educational opportunities for the disadvantaged."
Cardinal Seán O'Malley of Boston expressed gratitude to the diverse coalition that came together to inform voters about the negative consequences of a Massachusetts ballot initiative to legalize physician assisted suicide. The measure was narrowly defeated.
With the cooperation of medical organizations, newspapers, religious groups and disability rights advocates, he said, "we were able to stop this terrible assault on human life."
"At the same time, this calls us to be more focused on the fact that we must do more to promote good palliative and hospice care at the end of life," he added.
Noting that the Church has always been committed to compassionate end-of-life care, he offered examples of ways that dioceses can work to improve the quality of such care.
"We are called to comfort the sick, and not to help them take their own lives," Cardinal O'Malley remarked.
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Michelle La Rosa is deputy editor-in-chief of Catholic News Agency. She has worked for CNA since 2011. She studied political philosophy and journalism at the University of Dallas.