Senior Catholic clerics weigh in on gay marriage
As the US Supreme Court ponders same-sex marriage 鈥� and politicians look anxiously for public opinion clues on today鈥檚 hottest social issue 鈥� church leaders play an important role that may in fact be diminishing.
Increasingly, it seems, church doctrine holds less sway on what many see as a moral issue.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll, for example, finds that Roman Catholics support gay marriage 54-38 percent 鈥� slightly higher than the general population, according to several recent polls.
Among those who describe themselves as 鈥渂orn-again, evangelical, or fundamentalist" 海角大神s, opposition to gay marriage remains high. Still, half of those say 鈥渢he legalization of same-sex marriage is inevitable,鈥� according to a survey by LifeWay Research, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.
Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council, says polls showing increasing support for same-sex marriage should not be taken as political gospel 鈥� especially for Republicans wavering in the direction of approval.
鈥淗istory 鈥� and most statistical data 鈥� shows that young people tend to become more conservative and more religious as they grow up, get married, and start families of their own,鈥� Mr. Perkins writes on the CNS.com website (founded as the Conservative News Service).
鈥淚n fact, in Frank Newport's new book,聽鈥楪od Is Alive and Well,鈥� the editor-in-chief of聽Gallup explains that most people are at their spiritually lowest point at age 23,鈥� Perkins writes. 鈥淎fter that, people become聽increasingly religious 鈥� meaning that a hasty retreat on marriage may score cheap points now, but it would actually alienate the same people later on.鈥澛�
On several TV news shows Sunday morning, senior Roman Catholic clerics weighed in on the debate over gay marriage.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, says his church needs to be more welcoming of gay and lesbian Catholics.聽
"We gotta do better to see that our defense of marriage is not reduced to an attack on gay people,鈥� he said on ABC's "This Week.鈥� 鈥淎nd I admit, we haven't been too good at that.鈥�
鈥淥ur major challenge is to continue in a credible way to present the eternal concerns to people in a timeless attractive way,鈥� Cardinal Dolan said. 鈥淎nd sometimes there is a disconnect 鈥� between what they鈥檙e going through and what Jesus and his Church is teaching. And that鈥檚 a challenge for us.鈥�
Asked what he鈥檇 say to a gay couple professing love for the church as well as for each other, Dolan replied:
鈥淲ell, the first thing I鈥檇 say to them is, 鈥業 love you, too. And God loves you. And you are made in God鈥檚 image and likeness. And we want your happiness. And you鈥檙e entitled to friendship.鈥� But we also know that God has told us that the way to happiness, especially when it comes to sexual love 鈥� 聽that is intended only for a man and woman in marriage, where children can come about naturally.鈥�
"The Catholic Church welcomes everyone," Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington, said on "Fox News Sunday."
But Cardinal Wuerl acknowledged what may be a growing problem for the church.
"The only thing I worry about is someone saying to me, 'You, because you believe that sex is intended for marriage and because you believe that marriage is indissoluble and because you believe that marriage is between a man and a woman,' that somehow you don't belong here. That somehow, this is bigotry or this is hate speech,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat's what I worry about.鈥�
"There has to be room enough in the society as large, as free and as pluralistic as America to make space for all of us," Wuerl said.
Appearing on Bloomberg鈥檚 鈥淧olitical Capital with聽Al Hunt,鈥� retired Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick said he has 鈥渘o problem鈥� with civil unions for gay couples that confer the same rights as marriage.鈥�
鈥淚 certainly would prefer that鈥� to what I could call 鈥榓 marriage,鈥� in quotes,鈥� Cardinal McCarrick said.
鈥淪ame-sex marriage is not at this point prevalent in our society, and probably won鈥檛 be鈥� because gays are a minority, McCarrick told Bloomberg. Children whose parents divorce or are born out of wedlock, he said, 鈥渇ind themselves out on a limb,鈥� which 鈥渋s a serious problem in our society.鈥�
