Ottawa, Canada, Dec 14, 2003 / 22:00 pm
Canada’s Catholic bishops have asked the Supreme Court for permission to intervene in the case that could legalize same-sex marriage, reported Canadian Catholic News.
Last July, the Canadian government drafted legislation to legalize same-sex marriage across Canada and submitted it to the Supreme Court for judicial review. The court’s decision on the constitutionality of the draft legislation is not expected until late next year.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) says the government’s bill “breeches freedom of conscience and religion” and that the proposed definition of marriage is not constitutional.
The proposed bill, introduced by Justice Minister Martin Cauchon, is not intended to affect the “freedom of officials of religious groups to refuse to perform marriages that are not in accordance with their religious beliefs,” he said.