Catholic Marriage is between a Man and a Woman
Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Francis Parish,
Yesterday I went to Portland to get a hot dog at Top Dog and it took me 40 minutes to get home. They were rearranging the stop lights at St. John Square. Big job. Very interesting to watch them.
Also yesterday a few of us went to Norwich to pray the rosary in front of the Planned Parenthood building this morning at 10:00 am. Luckily the weather was a lot nicer this year.
Our parish center is almost back to normal. Too bad the regular activities, for the most part, are cancelled.
Midstate Tractor and Supply has closed up shop. How sad. I pass it every day going to say mass with the Gianelli Sisters.
No, I did not watch any of the debates. The Giants won a game last week. Great rejoicing for us long suffering fans. Hopefully they can win another one this year.
OK, the big non news is that Pope Francis is not endorsing gay marriage, which the Catholic Church and most other countries in the world see as something between a man and a woman and not two people of the same sex / gender.
This past week a documentary called “Francesco” came out and caused quite a stir, as it should. Back in Argentina 20 years ago the government was considering passing a gay marriage law. Then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, was against this. However, he realized that gays have civil rights, which in most countries, especially back then, were almost non existent and often times could actually punish gays with all sorts of civil penalties, and in a few countries, even today, gays can be killed. Cardinal Bergoglio was looking for a middle ground, which would be “civil unions.” FYI Initially gay marriage was only allowed in four parts of Argentina. A few years later it was legal in the entire country.
“Pope Francis’ remarks giving qualified support to civil unions of same–sex couples are not his first as pope,” said St. Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda on Wednesday. “While affirming Church teaching that, marriage can only be between one man and one woman, he along with others who defend traditional marriage, has shown openness to civil unions as a kind of middle way that would allow persons of the same sex in long-term relationships to have legal benefits without a civil redefinition of marriage itself.” The archbishop said that “Church teaching on marriage is clear and irreformable,” but that “the conversation must continue about the best ways to reverence the dignity of those in same–sex relationships so that they are not subject to any unjust discrimination.”
Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh said that the comments in the documentary “reflect [the pope’s] pastoral approach to persons who may be on the peripheries of society,” and “in no way signal a departure from the teaching of the Catholic Church concerning marriage or homosexuality.” “It speaks, rather, of a pastoral approach to these issues,” Zubik said. “In essence, Pope Francis has not promoted change in the moral or sacramental teaching of the Church. He has simply called for all people to be treated with the dignity and love which is their due by being created in God’s image and likeness
and being children of the Heavenly Father.”
So there you have it. According to the Catholic Church marriage is between a man and a woman and gay couples have rights to relationships without fear of punishment, or death, which most society’s do not recognize as a traditional marriage.
Some happy pictures
