Pope presses for greater defense of traditional marriage
- 30th December 2003

VATICAN CITY--Pope John Paul II pressed his campaign against gay unions Sunday, calling for greater defense of the institution of marriage between man and woman and saying a "misunderstood" sense of rights was altering it.

The pope's comments came amid a Vatican campaign to crack down on same-sex unions, which have won legal boosts in recent months following landmark court decisions in Canada, Massachusetts and elsewhere granting increasing legal rights to gay couples.

In his weekly Sunday comments in St. Peter's Square, John Paul said marriage — which the Vatican defines as a sacred union between man and woman — was a "human and divine" gift that should be defended by society.

"In our times, a misunderstood sense of rights has sometimes disturbed the nature of the family institution and conjugal bond itself," he said. "It is necessary that at every level, the efforts of those who believe in the importance of the family based on matrimony unite."

In July, the Vatican launched a global campaign against gay unions in a bid to stem the tide of widening legal recognition for same-sex marriages in Europe, North America and elsewhere.

The Vatican's orthodoxy watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a document saying Roman Catholic politicians had a "moral duty" to oppose laws granting legal rights to gay couples, and non-Catholics should follow their lead since the issue concerns "natural moral law."

"To vote in favor of a law so harmful to the common good is gravely immoral," the document said, although it did not specify penalties for Catholics who do.

It was issued just a month after an appeals court in Ontario ruled that Canada's definition of marriage as between a man and a woman was unconstitutional. Based on that ruling and a similar one in British Columbia, Canada is expected to introduce legislation legalizing gay marriage next year.

Belgium and the Netherlands already have legalized gay marriage.

In the United States, Vermont has a "civil union" law giving same-sex couples the rights of traditional marriages.

Last month, the highest court in Massachusetts ruled that it was unconstitutional to bar gay couples from marriage and gave the state legislature 180 days to rewrite the state's marriage laws to provide benefits for gay couples.

Some Republican lawmakers have called for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages nationwide. President Bush has declined to join their calls for now, but has said marriage is a union between man and woman.

John Paul reaffirmed the church's position on the institution Sunday, noting that Christmas was a time to remember the "holy family" of Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

Marriage, he said, "concerns a human and divine reality that is defended and promoted as a fundamental good of society."

He urged a common prayer "for all families, in particular those in material and spiritual difficulty."

John Paul has been a staunch promoter of the institution of marriage, as well as of the family. He strongly opposes abortion as well as artificial birth control, even for married couples.

Even before the recent North American court rulings, the pope and top Vatican officials frequently spoke out about increasing legal recognition for gay couples in Europe, where the Vatican has been particularly concerned about its waning influence.

In recent years, the Netherlands and Belgium extended marriage rights to all couples, no matter the partners' gender. Germany, France, Sweden and Denmark also have "civil union" laws.

In January, the pope approved guidelines for Catholic politicians saying laws safeguarding marriage between man and woman must be promoted and "in no way can other forms of cohabitation be placed on same level as marriage, nor can they receive legal recognition as such."

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