Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Madrid (Fides Service) - Now that the Spanish parliament has recognised same sex unions and equalled them to marriage, the country’s Bishops warn of the disastrous consequences for Spain and the rest of the world. In a pastoral letter dated 3 July Archbishop Agustín García-Gascón of Valencia said “these reforms to the Civil Code would cause an implosion of matrimony”. He said this law eliminated matrimony from the civil code: “if everything is marriage then nothing is marriage… time will show the direct and indirect effects of this superficial and unjust decision”. In another letter dated 10 July the Archbishop urged Catholics not to give up the fight to safeguard authentic marriage and family “which is the truth about the human person not a passing fashion or simply an opinion”. This reform of the civil code can be altered “those who defend marriage defend it with legal means and under the rule of law" he said. To counter the lies and manipulation spread by the media the Archbishop called on families to be more present in the means of communications and said they must be allowed to put forward their reasons with freedom and without manipulation
Archbishop Manuel Ureña of Saragozza in a letter dated 11 July “The legittimate and inalienable autonomy of marriage and the family” said a society is secure when it respects the rights of individuals, defends and protects the objective truth of institutions such as marriage on which the stability of society depends. But when this principle is not respected there is subjectivism in natural institutions with deplorable consequences as Spain will soon learn. The Archbisop said “this law must be opposed with all the legittimate means made available to citizens under the rule of law”.
Also Archbishop Carlos Osoro of Oviedo in a pastoral letter dated 4 July said there are times in history like today when the forces of evil seem to prevail evil ideas and customs threaten to destroy mankind. Times when “there is a struggle between the truth and falsehood and falsehood is presented as the truth”. “Since marriage is the only place where future generations can be properly educated it is oriented towards the future” the Archbishop said warning that by discarding these natural principles “we are building a society which has its eyes closed to the future”. He underscored the need to promote the truth about marriage and the family and to “defend the truth about mankind even going against current opinions and forms imposed without the consensus of society”.
“The family protagonist” is the title of a pastoral letter issued by Bishop José Sánchez González of Sigüenza-Guadalajara who says reasons for excluding marriage for two people of the same sex and not calling their union a marriage come from the very nature of matrimony accredited by universal juridical tradition. When we maintain these principles we are taking a stand not against homosexuals but for marriage and the family. Homosexuals have every right to be respected as human persons but they cannot change the nature of things. People seem to forget that matrimony is a fundamental public and social reality and its nature, condition, demands and finalities cannot be established by any arbitary decision. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 15/7/2005, righe 45, parole 635)
