The Roman Catholic Church in Britain on
Sunday will call on Catholics to oppose the government's plans to
legalize gay marriage in the country, the UK edition of the
Huffington
Post reported.
The UK's Conservative Party last
September unveiled plans to make gay nuptials legal in Britain before
2015. The Conservative Party, Britain's largest political party,
governs in coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Prime Minister
David Cameron, who helms the Conservative Party, supports the move,
saying it promotes conservative values such as commitment.
Great Britain currently recognizes gay
and lesbian couples with civil partnerships, which offer most of the
legal protections of marriage.
The government is expected to release a
consultation document detailing its plans on the law next week.
A letter to be distributed in churches
calls on Catholics to reject the government's “profoundly radical”
plans.
“We understand marriage to be a call
to holiness for a husband and wife, with children recognized and
loved as the gift of God,” the letter reads.
“We have a duty to married people
today, and to those who come after us, to do all we can to ensure
that the true meaning of marriage is not lost for future
generations.”
A video of Archbishop Vincent Nichols
of the Diocese of Westminster reading the letter was released Friday
on the Internet. (The video is embedded in the right panel of this
page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
(Related: Pope
Benedict calls on U.S. bishops to oppose gay marriage.)