The following is the statement of San Jose Bishop Patrick J. McGrath on today’s Supreme Court decisions regarding DOMA and Proposition 8:
The Supreme Court’s decisions related to the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8 are disappointing to us, in that neither affirmed the Church’s definition of Marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
I echo a statement issued today by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: “When Jesus taught about the meaning of marriage – the lifelong, exclusive union of husband and wife – he pointed back to “the beginning” of God’s creation of the human person as male and female (see Matthew 19). In the face of the customs and laws of his time, Jesus taught an unpopular truth that everyone could understand. The truth of marriage endures, and we will continue to boldly proclaim it with confidence and charity.”
As we continue to disagree with the decisions announced today by the Supreme Court, our disagreements must remain civil. Beyond the legal, ethical and moral matters related to these issues are real human beings, each created in the image and likeness of God. In our pluralistic and democratic society, people of good will espouse different points of view and must work, especially in the face of the challenges as great as these, to find common ground in our shared humanity.
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