Holy Matrimony! DC Catholic Archdiocese finally gets it: Religious & civil marriage are separate concepts
”So the bottom line is that what the secular world means by the word ‘marriage’ is not even close to what the Church means. Is it time for us to accept this and start using a different word? Perhaps it is and I would like to propose a new (really an old) term and hear what you think. I propose that we should exclusively refer to marriage in the Church as ‘Holy Matrimony.’ According to this proposal the word marriage would be set aside and replaced by Holy Matrimony.”
Msgr. Charles Pope making a rare rational proposal for the Catholic Church on the subject of gay and lesbian marriage. Over the past several months, he has ranted repeatedly via his Archdiocese of Washington blog against same-sex marriage legalization, and also against the laws and regulations of DC applying equally to their public service organization, Catholic Charities. Here he finally seems to realize that “marriage” as defined in their religious “Catechism” is indeed a separate entity from “marriage” as recognized by civil law. Maybe he should have actually read the bill when it was proposed. “The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009” never required religious organizations to perform weddings for couples whom they did not approve. At the City Council’s public hearings last year, that key point about religious freedom was purposefully smothered with anti-gay proselytizing and predictions of gloom and doom. (ADW Blog)
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