Bishops in Puerto Rico defend traditional concept of marriage

San Juan, Puerto Rico, Oct 25, 2004 / 22:00 pm

Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez of San Juan, Puerto Rico, issued a Pastoral Letter on the Family this past weekend in which he reaffirmed the need to protect the concept of marriage as a union between man and woman.

In the letter entitled, “The Family: Bright and Unalterable Gift of the Love of God,” the Archbishop underscored that “with the new tendencies in all of the countries of the world, the institution of the family has suffered immense attacks, beginning with religious indifferentism, followed by abortion, euthanasia, violence, the abandoning of the elderly, crime, the use of drugs and alcohol, etc.”

“One of the tendencies has been the desire to redefine both the family and marriage.  The Church throughout the world has emphasized the need to defend, promote and strengthen the family according to the Creator’s design,” he warned.

Archbishop Gonzalez recalled that “the family is an inalterable gift of the love of God” to the human being, “so that for the first time he might experience love, which is a reflection of His own divine love, through the love of his parents, which at the same time is a gift which is offered mutually and freely.”

“We cannot alter or mess with the order of creation because creation follows its own logic, it is not the result of mere chance but rather of the decision by the Creator to establish the family, built upon the union of one man and one woman,” he added.

The Archbishop defended the rights of parents to educate their children about sexuality and he warned that in making changes to civil law one must remember that the law creates a perception of what is moral in society by approving certain activities as licit.

“He also exhorted the media to “keep in mind its effects on the institution of the family and marriage.”