Washington D.C., Jan 11, 2010 / 20:25 pm
On Monday, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz praised the efforts of the recent New Jersey State Senate vote to preserve the traditional definition of marriage on Jan. 7, expressing gratitude for the “courage” the senators displayed.
“On behalf of the bishops' Ad Hoc Committee, I am grateful for the courage of those New Jersey Senators who stood for the truth of marriage as a bulwark of the common good,” said Archbishop Kurtz, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage.
Last Thursday, the New Jersey Senate voted 20-14 to reject a same-sex “marriage” bill. The New York Senate rejected a similar measure on Dec. 2, voting by a 38-24 margin, and both of these Senate votes echo the recent “people's veto” in Maine during the November mid-term elections last year which also succeeded in maintaining the traditional definition of marriage, a statement from the U.S. Bishops noted.
“Preserving marriage between one man and one woman is a matter of justice,” Archbishop Kurtz stated on Monday, saying “indeed, it is one of the premier social justice issues of our time. It does not deny but rather supports basic human rights – especially the rights of children.”