Marriage in the present day: message from Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

Catholic New Times, Oct 5, 2003 by Jacques Berthelet

Introduction

September, 2003

The Catholic bishops of Canada address this message on marriage to the faithful of their communities, yet also in the hope that these reflections will be widely heard by all who are participating in the current debate.

Many voices have made themselves heard since July 17, 2003, when the federal government referred to the Supreme Court of Canada its draft legislation to redefine marriage, for civil purposes, as "the lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all others." This proposal has resulted in unprecedented controversy as it concerns a fundamental social and religious institution to which people have profound attachment.

I--Marriage: A Human Institution

A Reality Embedded in Human Nature

Marriage is a human reality, a natural institution that precedes all social, legal and religious systems. Marriage has existed since time immemorial. Marriage predates our present government or any other and predates, as well, the founding of the church. Marriage is not the creature of the state or church, and neither a government nor the church has authority to change its nature. This form of life for couples has always been valued and protected as an institution because of its unique character, its way of ordering human relationships, and its procreative potential.

Contribution to the Common Good

Marriage between a woman and a man constitutes an unique good for all society. It has a fundamental and irreplaceable role in building societies and civilizations. The social value of marriage comes from its role its a stabilizing force for the family, which in turn is the basic unit of society. The conjugal partnership of a man and a woman has always been considered to be the basis of the family, providing a stable and positive environment in which to care for children and so educate future generations. The family is at the heart of the social bonds that unite one generation with the next, and it is within the family that tomorrow's society learns how to love and relate to others, its eloquently indicated by the statistics from the last census.

A Specific Commitment

In marriage, what is socially and legally recognized is not only a personal commitment, but also a social commitment: to contribute to the future of society by having and raising children. It is true that procreation is not the only goal of marriage, but it is certainly a key component.

Laws must be developed not only according to their impact on individuals, but also according to their impact on the social fabric. It is important, for the stability of the family and indeed for the stability of all society, to strengthen the institution of marriage. The state has a demonstrably genuine justification in affording recognition, preference, and precedence to the nature and character of the core social and legal arrangement by which society endures.

Since the very beginning of this debate, we have acknowledged there is a desire to give formal protection to other forms of adult personal relationships which also involve commitment, mutual care, and emotional and financial interdependence. We remain convinced solutions can be found without proceeding to a radical redefinition of marriage.

Respecting Differences

Invoking the principles of equity, equality, autonomy and freedom of choice, the government in its draft legislation proposes to remove the distinctions between heterosexual spouses and same-sex partners in order to give the latter access to normative marital status. However, the state must not confuse equality with uniformity by simply substituting one for the other. Non-discrimination does not require uniformity; it requires respect for diversity and differences. Society should value diversity. In the current context, refusing to establish the necessary distinctions leads to confusion and to the devaluing of diversity. It is not discriminatory to treat different realities differently.

Respecting the Interplay between Faith and Politics

There has been a vigorous and interesting debate in the media about the relationship between faith and politics. This is not solely a Catholic or even a religious issue but one that applies universally, since everyone has an overall sense of fundamental values and beliefs. For some people, this is informed largely by religious convictions; for others, it is based on philosophical principles; and for yet others, it involves what are called secular values. The Catholic Church does not draw a rigid line between faith and life. On the contrary, it expects its members, whatever their vocation, profession or occupation, to incarnate their faith in everyday life.

Whatever the issue, be it politics, the economy, military intervention or marriage, one should assume that most politicians will bring their fundamental values to the discussion and form their consciences accordingly. What the church asks of Catholic politicians, and indeed of every Catholic, is to develop their conscience through prayer, meditation, careful reading of scripture and respectful listening to the teaching of the church, in order to heed that objective moral law, which as the 'natural law' written in the human heart, is the obligatory point of reference for civil law itself."