Bogotá, Colombia, Jul 25, 2006 / 22:00 pm
The bishops of Colombia began their 81st Plenary Assembly this week with a fervent call to prevent the legalization of abortion and the legal recognition of homosexual unions.
In his opening remarks, the president of the Bishops’ Conference of Colombia, Archbishop Luis Augusto Castro Quiroga, recalled statements of Pope Benedict XVI which declared that human life, the family, and education are non-negotiables. He emphasized that the recent decision by Colombia’s high court to partially legalize abortion does not make the act morally just.
Likewise, he noted that the Catholic Church does not discriminate against homosexual persons, but also does not accept the legal recognition of same-sex couples. “There is no basis for drawing similarities or establish analogies, even remotely, between homosexual unions and the plan of God for marriage and the family,” the archbishop said.
Regarding religious education, Archbishop Castro reiterated the right of parents to choose the kind of education their children would receive.
The archbishop went on to underscore the special support that Catholic politicians in Colombia deserve, as they have the duty to vote on new laws and, “to reject those that are not morally correct.”