The Oregon Catholic Conference in a statement responded to a federal judge’s ruling Monday to overturn a voter-approved ban on same-sex “marriage” in Oregon.
The Catholic Conference expressed concern about the democratic process in the case, and affirmed what marriage is.
Eighteen states, plus the District of Columbia, allow same-sex marriage, and 32 states prohibit it.
Here is the statement:
The Oregon Catholic Conference is deeply grieved by Judge Michael McShane’s ruling to redefine marriage. It is a travesty of justice that marriage, as the foundation of society, received no defense in the U.S. District Court. Attorney General, Ellen Rosenblum, in an extreme dereliction of her sworn duty to uphold the law, refused to represent the interests and the people of Oregon. It is a sad day for democracy when one federally appointed judge can overturn, without any representation, the express will of the people of Oregon.
Despite the judge’s ruling, authentic marriage remains what it has always and only been according to God’s design: the loving union between one man and one woman for the mutual benefit of the two who have become one flesh and any children born of their union. Redefining marriage confuses the true purpose and meaning of marriage. An act deliberately ensuring that more children will grow up motherless or fatherless is not an act of love. The Oregon Catholic Conference will continue to uphold the true meaning of marriage and advocate for genuine marriages and families in Oregon, and it urges all people of good will to continue to reject the flawed notion that a pairing of two people of the same gender constitutes a marriage.
