AMERICA/UNITED STATES - Message from the Bishop of Oakland: “our efforts to enshrine this wisdom about marriage in the laws of our community are not an imposition of an ideology but a service of the truth which we make for the common good”

Oakland (Agenzia Fides) – Bishop Allen Vigneron of Oakland (California) recently issued a Pastoral Message to all the faithful of his diocese offering them his pastoral support and guidance, following the California State Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex “marriages.”
The most fundamental point, the Bishop indicates, is that marriage is a reality authored by God and according to His irrevocable plan, it is only possible between one man and one woman. “The experience of history – both ancient and in our own time – has taught us that no government has the power to change the order which God has inscribed in our nature.”
As the Bishops states, “this conviction about marriage, while confirmed by faith, can be known from reason.” Thus, “our efforts to enshrine this wisdom about marriage in the laws of our community are not an imposition of an ideology but a service of the truth which we make for the common good. This wisdom about the nature of marriage is not a form of discrimination, but undergirds our freedom to live according to God’s plan for us.”
As Bishop Vigneron views the present situation, two kinds of challenges are presented: short term and long term. In regard to the short term, “as faithful citizens Catholics are called to bring our laws regarding marriage into conformity with what we know about the nature of marriage.” And in the long term, “if such efforts fail, our way of life will become counter-cultural, always a difficult situation for Christians.” Even if those efforts are successful, the Bishop says, there will still be much work left to be done because, “we would still be living in a society where many accept a set of convictions that is ultimately detrimental to the integrity of human life, with negative consequences for one’s happiness in this world and the next. Your mission then will be, as it always has been, to be a light and leaven for the new creation established in Christ.”
The Bishop concludes his Message by expressing his commitment to, “do my best, as the principal pastor of the Church in the Diocese of Oakland, to lead you in your response to this situation in the months and years ahead.” (RG) (Agenzia Fides 9/6/2008)