“Marriage exists prior to the state and is not open to redefinition by the state."

The USCCB site has a release with quotes from Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage, about the recent ruling by a federal judge in Massachusetts rejecting the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. A couple of excerpts:

“Marriage – the union of one man and one woman – is a unique, irreplaceable institution. The very fabric of our society depends upon it. Nothing compares to the exclusive and permanent union of husband and wife. The state has a duty to employ the civil law to reinforce – and, indeed, to privilege uniquely – this vital institution of civil society. The reasons to support marriage by law are countless, not least to protect the unique place of husbands and wives, the indispensible role of fathers and mothers, and the rights of children, who are often the most vulnerable among us. And yet, a judge has decided that a marriage-reinforcing law like DOMA fails to serve even a single, minimally rational government interest. On behalf of the bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage, I express grave concern over these dangerous and disappointing rulings which ignore even the most apparent purposes of marriage and thus offend true justice."

“To claim that defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman is somehow irrational, prejudiced, or even bigoted, is a great disservice not only to truth but to the good of our nation,” Archbishop Kurtz said. “Marriage exists prior to the state and is not open to redefinition by the state. The role of the state, instead, is to respect and reinforce marriage. Thursday’s decision, by contrast, uses the power of the state to attack the perennial definition of marriage, reducing it merely to the union of any two consenting adults. But only a man and a woman are capable of entering into the unique, life-giving bond of marriage, with all of its specific responsibilities. Protecting marriage as only the union of one man and one woman is not merely a legitimate, but a vital government interest.”

Douglas Kmiec responded by saying, "With all due respect Archbishop Kurtz, the Obama administration is well aware of the importance of marriage and is, in fact, remains the most thoroughly Catholic-friendly and Catholic-respecting administration in the history of the universe. In fact, President Obama's recent remarks in support of same-sex marriage prove just how much of a Catholic scholar he really is and shows how dedicated is to promoting the sort of responsible and long-term relationships that will eventually foster traditional marriages."

Wait, wait: I made that up! I just couldn't resist.

Three exceptional Ignatius Press books about marriage and Church teaching about marriage are:

• Marriage: The Rock on Which The Family is Built (2nd ed.), by William E. May. Also available as a downloadable audio file and as an e-book.
• Male and Female He Created Them: Essays on Marriage and the Family, by Cardinal Jorge Medina-Estevez. Read an excerpt here.
• Sex and the Marriage Covenant: A Basis for Morality, by John Kippley. Read an excerpt here.

Comments

[Jeff]

Wow, you had me there. For a minute, I thought that last paragraph was legitimate. I had a major comment dripping with sarcasm at the ready.

[Robert Miller]

Archbishop Kurtz is doing a splendid job as point-man for the bishops on this issue. He has had to take a lot of vile and vicious criticism from the Louisville Courier-Journal (editorials, op-eds and even cartoons)on account of his leadership on this (and on the Manhattan Declaration). He deserves our public support and prayers.

[Robert Miller]

Before I call it a day, one last exclamation: Please pray for Archbishop Kurtz! He's one of the best we've got, and he's in one of the meanest environments any US bishop has to face.

[Charlie B]

Carl, Great close. Sounded authentic. The Bishops, IMHO, need to do two things: (1)create the most persuasive as possible, Aquinas-like refutation of same-sex "marriage" as possible. Maybe I missed it if they published one recently. Enlist Maggie Gallagher, Kreeft, DeMarco and others to help. (2) To take courageous, strong, revolutionary pastoral action to strengthen marriage from engagement to at least the confirmation of a couple's children. That would cover about 20 years or so. If THAT doesn't work, God help us all.
We've seen excellent papal and episcopal writing on marriage, sexuality, etc. since the last century. Space forbids spelling out the opportunity that is there for 5 "intersections" with couples/parents available to parishes. But words are not enough. Action is needed. And the action needed would be difficult to implement because of its scope and the resistance it would meet.

Finally, the biggest problem with my suggestion (1) above is that we would be addressing a society that sees no serious moral problem with masturbation, private homosexual behavior, contraception, abortion and in vitro. Too many issues that have made "SSM" thinkable in our world to tackle effectively and persuasively in an apologetic treatise.