Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Ottawa (Agenzia Fides) - About 40 religious leaders of different faiths signed a Declaration on Marriage to be presented to Parliament and society in general in the present national debate on the subject. “We, each from our respective theologies and traditions, understand marriage to be in its essence the union of a woman and a man. Each religion has, in its distinctive way, understood marriage to have religious significance. Yet the unitive understanding of the structure of marriage is not exclusively religious." The Declaration describes marriage as " the public covenanting together of a man and a woman in a loving, enduring and exclusive relationship through which our society may be enriched… a life-long covenant between a man and a woman is older than our oldest democratic and parliamentary arrangements, older than our court systems, and is more universally accepted than any code of law ever promulgated".
"As a social institution, marriage is primarily concerned with the common good and not individual rights. The marriage of a woman and a man therefore merits deferential government protection and social recognition.". Changing the definition of marriage involves a repudiation of millennia of history and experience. Redefining marriage as being “between two persons” eclipses the essence and full purpose of marriage; the inner connection between marriage, the complementarity of the sexes, procreation and the raising of children is lost.
The religious leaders conclude “To ensure that future generations do not lose the distinctive and fundamental institution of marriage, we appeal to the members of the Parliament of Canada and to all Canadians to reconsider the decision to redefine marriage and to work together to re-establish in law and public policy the historic and universal definition of marriage which reflects its unique and essential nature” (RG) (Agenzia Fides 10/11/2006; righe 23, parole 315)
