Sydney, Australia, Nov 15, 2017 / 11:25 am
Following a postal survey showing support for same-sex marriage, Australia's Catholic bishops said that the nation's laws need to protect those who understand marriage as it has always been viewed.
"Parliamentarians must recognize and respect the concerns of the more than 4.8 million Australians who opposed a change to the definition of marriage by putting in place strong conscience and religious freedom protections," Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, said Nov. 15.
"These protections must ensure that Australians can continue to express their views on marriage, that faith-based schools can continue to teach the traditional understandings of marriage and that organizations can continue to operate in a manner that is consistent with those values," he said.
Hart's comments came after a national postal survey showed support for redefining marriage. About 61 percent of Australians who participated in the survey voted to recognize "gay marriage," with 38 percent opposed.