Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
San Juan (Agenzia Fides) - The Archbishop of San Juan, His Excellency Roberto Octavio Gonzalez Nives, published a message this week asking for the maximum protection of marriage and the family within Puerto Rico. At present, an amendment is being debated in the country to place a definition of marriage in the Constitution. The Concurrent Resolution 99 is a document presented by the Puerto Rican Senator, Castro Font, that proposes the amendment of Article II of the Constitution to include a "section 21 to add to the Constitution the right of a man and a woman to marry." At the same time the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico is debating, as a part of the revision of the Civil Code. the possibility of granting homosexual and same sex couples some of the rights and responsibilities that married couples have.
Archbishop González affirms that, "The truth about marriage is inscribed in the depth of the human being as a natural instinct: Human love reaches its plenitude in the union between a man and a woman and the fruit of this love in the children guarantees the continuity of the human race." This truth is not expressed in the Constitution of Puerto Rico in 1952, because at that time it was not necessary to explicitly mention that marriage should be heterosexual. Nevertheless, at present, as Bishop Roberto explains, we have the need to protect the family in the Constitution because, "in today's world, other types of families are trying to be re-defined and created by the legislature, thus beginning a process of family disintegration and destruction"; because "the family is a common good for humanity, having served it well for thousands and thousands and thousands of years, and the future of mankind depends on the family since it is the only institution that guarantees the continuity of the human race"; because "there are powerful philosophical, economical and ideological powers on a world scale that promote concepts of the human being which separate him from the Truth of his dignity and identity and we do not want laws that re-define marriage and the family."
At present the Archbishop asks for "the maximum protection of marriage, that of the constitution, so that it may have the highest possible rank in our juridical structure.” In the same way he asks for "a consultation process to be begun, so that the people maybe determine what type of protection should be given to marriage in our society: whether protection through a law or the highest protection, of the highest level: the constitutional protection."
"Let us continue insisting, with profound respect, without offending anyone, and with love for all, so that the clear, strong, and unmistakable definition that appears in the text of the 69th Article of the current Civil Code may be included so that in Puerto Rico it may be established that marriage is only and exclusively the union between a man and a woman and so that no recognition of any so-called marriage will be given to any other juridical concept that places itself on the same level as marriage, as in other jurisdictions," the Archbishop concludes. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 14/2/2208 righe: 45 parole: 555)
