A Texas priest says Catholics are
duty-bound to oppose the legalization of gay unions.
Father Michael Rodriguez, parish priest
of El Paso's San Juan Bautista Catholic Church, opined
in an editorial published in the El Paso Times that being gay
is immoral.
“Remember: Every single Catholic, out
of fidelity to charity and truth, has the absolute duty to oppose (1)
the murder of unborn babies, and (2) any and all government attempts
to legalize homosexual unions.”
“Any Catholic who supports homosexual
acts is, by definition, committing a mortal sin, and placing
himself/herself outside of communion with the Roman Catholic Church.”
Rodriguez does not mention what
motivated him to write his fiery op-ed, but in May the El Paso
Times reported that a lesbian couple had married in San Antonio
after being turned down by El Paso authorities. One of the women,
Sabrina J. Hill, is transgender. Under Texas law she is considered a
man, making her eligible to marry her longtime girlfriend Therese
“Tee” Bur. The story attracted international headlines.
While Rodriguez urges followers to
treat gay people with “love, understanding and respect,” he
quickly adds that “homosexual acts lead to the damnation of souls.”
“Abortion and homosexual acts are
unequivocally intrinsic moral evils. And friends, this objective
truth doesn't depend on the opinion of the majority. Frighteningly,
if the majority chooses to deny the objective moral order, then we
will all suffer the pestiferous consequences.”