Bishop Salvatore Cordileone has said
that the gay marriage debate is not about equality under the law.
Cordileone, an outspoken opponent of
gay nuptials who in 2008 backed passage of Proposition 8,
California's ban, was recently installed as the leader of the
Archdiocese of San Francisco. He is also the chairman of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Subcommittee for the
Promotion and Defense of Marriage.
In
a blog post at the USCCB's website to promote the church's
understanding of marriage, Marriage Unique for a Reason,
Cordileone criticized President Barack Obama's inclusion of marriage
equality in his inaugural address.
Obama cited Stonewall, the birthplace
of the gay rights movement, and stated that “if we are truly
created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be
equal as well.”
“I honor the president's concern for
the equal dignity of every human being, including those that
experience same-sex attraction, who like everyone else, must be
protected against any and all violence and hatred,” Cordileone
said.
“But the marriage debate is not about
equality under the law, but rather the very meaning of marriage.
Marriage is the only institution that unites children with their
mothers and fathers.”
“Protecting this understanding of
marriage is not discrimination nor is it some kind of pronouncement
on how adults live out their intimate relationships; it is standing
for the common good,” he added.
(Related: Salvatore
Cordileone: Gay marriage wins are a call to “defend marriage.”)