Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver called the Colorado legislature's
passage of a civil unions bill a “regrettable move” harming families,
children, and religious freedom.
“Today our state and federal Constitutions have been dealt a troubling blow,” he said March 12.
“Marriage is a stabilizing institution at the foundation of civil
society. Religious liberty is a civil rights issue. Today both have been
grievously harmed.”
The Colorado House approved the bill which would allow same-sex couples
to form civil unions by a 39-26 vote in which the Democrats were joined
by two Republicans to support the bill.
The bill had previously been approved by the state Senate, and now heads
to the desk of Democratic governor John Hickenlooper. He has said he
plans to sign it into law, and the ceremony is expected to take place
this month.
Archbishop Aquila called the bill “the beginning of an effort to
redefine the family in Colorado and to undermine the right of all
children to have a mother and a father.”
“Civil unions are not about equality, tolerance or fairness. They create
an alternate reality in which all institutions can be self-defined.
Make no mistake: Civil unions are the first step to redefining marriage
and to radically redefining the concept of civil rights.”
He said that civil rights, properly understood, are matters of
“protecting individuals and institutions from tyranny or oppression,”
rather than “providing legal endorsement to all conceivable social
arrangements and constructs.”
The archbishop said that while the Church recognizes and affirms the
dignity of every human person, it does not follow from this that all
relationships are equal.
“Marriage is a unique social relationship between a man and a woman
which exists for the good of children and as the foundation of all human
communities. Marriage has been uniquely protected in law for millennia
in order to preserve and promote the foundations of all social
stability.”
He said the bill is “particularly troubling” because it fails to include
a religious liberty provision which would ensure that adoption agencies
would not be required to place children with same-sex or unmarried
couples.
“The ability for religious-based institutions to provide foster care and
adoption services for Colorado’s children is now dangerously
imperiled,” noted Archbishop Aquila.
Republican efforts to include religious liberty exemptions were
defeated, and the bill's senate sponsor, Pat Steadman, said his response
to those concerned for religious freedom was, “Get thee to a nunnery
and live there then. Go live a monastic life away from modern society,
away from the people you can’t see as equal to yourself.”
The archbishop called these comments “woefully antagonistic to
Catholics, to Christians and to all people of faith and good will.”
The previous year's version of the bill had included a provision for
religious liberty, but was defeated by the then-Republican controlled
legislature.
Archbishop Aquila said that “marriage is a stabilizing institution at
the foundation of civil society. Religious liberty is a civil rights
issue.”
“Today both have been grievously harmed,” he concluded.