AMERICA/COSTA RICA - Bishops speak out on same-sex unions: “The state cannot legalize these unions without infringing upon their duty to promote and protect an institution that is essential to the common good, namely, marriage.”

San Jose (Agenzia Fides) - In response to the draft-bill on same-sex “marriages,” currently awaiting government approval, the Bishops of Costa Rica have issued a statement offering clear arguments on the matter, for all people of good will.
Firstly, they mention that the Catholic Church “recognizes that all human person, created in the image of God, is worthy of the highest respect and therefore, must reject all that is contrary to this dignity.” They make the distinction between “respect for the person and rejection of the homosexual act, as an act that is objectively contrary to God’s plan.” The also recall that “the legislators cannot and should not make laws contrary to right reason, because in making them into norms, they loose their power to oblige a person’s conscience.” And in this regard, “the laws that favor homosexual unions are contrary to right reason, as they take the legal guarantees that pertain to the institution of marriage and confer them on the union of two people of the same gender. Considering the values at stake, the state cannot legalize these unions without infringing upon their duty to promote and protect an institution that is essential to the common good, namely, marriage.”
In response to the false arguments that hide behind the mask of “philanthropy” or “the principles of autonomy and privacy,” or “regularize something that is simply a part of society,” the Bishops affirm that “we need to reflect above all on the difference between the homosexual behavior as a private matter and as a public act, which is not only more serious of an issue, but it is one with farther-reaching consequences as it could result in changes that are contrary to the common good of any society.”
Furthermore, “a union between two people of the same sex is completely void of the aspects, values, and worth that uphold a natural union between a man and a woman.” The main reason behind the protection of marriage “is in the mission this institution has as the basis for forming a family and therefore, it is an institution that is favored by public interest.”
The Bishops also remind government representatives that “they have been elected by the people and in that sense, their vote in all drafting of laws should be in light of the common good and be in conformity with the general consent of the citizens. Thus, they should do so in good conscience.” They also remind them that “from a legal-constitutional point of view, the law proposal goes against constitutional principles that have also been recognized in our legal code.”
“As a result, at the light of the Church’s Doctrine on marriage and the family, and in virtue of the Costa Rican code of law as it is authentically interpreted by the Constitutional Court, it is unacceptable and incoherent to approve a law that tries to apply all legal standards of marriage to homosexual unions,” the Bishops conclude, asking that Catholic politicians “express their disfavor and vote against the bill,” and to those who “do not profess our faith,” they ask that “they examine the arguments we have enumerated, and in conformity with right reason and the nature of the human person and for the goods of society, they do not vote in favor of a law that, from every perspective, goes against the common good of the people of the Republic.” (RG) (Agenzia Fides 11/7/2008)