New Jersey Bishops Distribute Letter Opposing Same-Sex Marriage

11/28/09-by Paula Brooks

New Jersey’s Catholic bishops are instructing priests to read or distribute a letter this weekend asking Catholics to pray that lawmakers in New Jersey not allow same-sex marriage in that state.

The bishops’ letter reiterates the Vatican’s position that marriage is only between a man and a woman and says, “Governments do not have the power to define marriage otherwise, because it is a permanent human institution that does not owe its existence to governments”…. However, the Bishops failed to mention when one could stop going to their local government courthouse to buy marriage licenses in that state of New Jersey or when those marriage licenses would be available at local Catholic parish offices.

The Bishops also noted that, “the crisis in family life that society faces today has deep roots in a broad cultural shift away from religion and social traditionalism and toward faith in personal independence and tolerance for diverse life styles.”

The Jersey Bishops however did not note that it has in itself contributed greatly to this shifting away by allowing the Roman Catholic Church to long become a haven for Child Sexual predators… a fact that the church hierarchy was generally aware, but instead chose to enabled these predators by not reporting them to government officials, moving them around after their crimes were discovered so they could continue to prey on more children, then coved up these crimes… primarily because that hierarchy did not want the Church to be sued or publicly embarrassed.

N.J.com notes that not all public religious voices in the state are aligned against same-sex marriage.

Last month, 18 clergy across the state, including Bishop Mark Beckwith of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, asked lawmakers to allow same-sex marriage, in a letter-writing campaign coordinated by Garden State Equality, the advocacy group that favors same-sex marriage.

via N.J. Catholic bishops instructing priests to read, distribute letter denouncing same-sex marriage | New Jersey Real-Time News – - NJ.com.

Current New Jersey Gov. John Corzine favors same-sex marriage and has promise to sign any same-sex marriage bill reaching his desk from Garden State legislators, but it remains unclear whether New Jersey lawmakers will even allow Marriage Equality a vote during the current lame-duck session. If that does not happen before Gov.-elect Chris Christie takes office, the prospects for Marriage Equality in the foreseeable future looks very bleak, since Christie opposes it.

Click Image for Full Text Of NJ Bishops Letter