Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has
called passage of a gay marriage law in Illinois a “serious
injustice.”
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, a
Democrat, signed the legislation during a ceremony held last week in
downtown Chicago. The law takes effect on June 1.
Cordileone, who leads the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Subcommittee for the
Promotion and Defense of Marriage and heads the diocese of San
Francisco, criticized
passage of the law in a blog post.
“The decision by the Illinois
legislature and the governor to redefine marriage in law does not
alter the natural reality that marriage is and can only be the union
of one man and one woman,” Cordileone wrote. “Furthermore,
marriage redefinition is a serious injustice. The law exists to
safeguard the common good and protect authentic rights, especially
the right of children to have a married mother and father.”
During the debate in the House, Speaker
Mike Madigan referred to Pope Francis' response to gay clergy: “Who
am I to judge?”
Without mentioning Madigan by name,
Cordileone, a vocal opponent of allowing gay couples to marry, said
that it was dishonest to use the pope's words to support marriage
equality.
“When referring to the family, Pope
Francis said very clearly in his first papal encyclical: 'I think
first and foremost of the stable union of man and woman in marriage.'
And very recently, the Pope offered these words: 'Let us therefore
propose to all people, with respect and courage, the beauty of
marriage and the family illuminated by the Gospel!' Pope Francis has
forcefully reminded us that we are to show love and respect to all
people and to seek their greatest good, and he therefore continues to
clearly promote and defend marriage and family, recognizing that this
is in everyone's best interest as members of a common society. In
fact, when confronting an effort to redefine marriage in his home
country of Argentina, he said as Archbishop of Buenos Aires: 'The
identity of the family, and its survival, are in jeopardy here:
father, mother, and children.' He even added: 'At stake is the total
rejection of God's law engraved in our hearts.' It is therefore
disgraceful that some legislators would manipulate the words of Pope
Francis to suggest that he would support marriage redefinition.”