Source: Zenit
WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 13, 2010 (Zenit.org).- A U.S. bishops' official is denouncing two Massachusetts court rulings against the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage, responded to two July 8 rulings that claim Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. That section provides for a federal definition of marriage as the legal union of one man and one woman.
The archbishop said the rulings use "the power of the state to attack the perennial definition of marriage, reducing it merely to the union of any two consenting adults."
Instead, he clarified, "Marriage -- the union of one man and one woman -- is a unique, irreplaceable institution. The very fabric of our society depends upon it. [...] The state has a duty to employ the civil law to reinforce -- and, indeed, to privilege uniquely -- this vital institution of civil society."
Archbishop Kurtz said that protecting marriage is not only a legitimate, but a "vital government interest."
Article provided by ZENIT News Agency.