FROM OUR SHEPHERDS
Marriage and Family
"The marriage bond, in which man and woman together constitute a life-long association, ordered by its very nature for the good of the spouses and the generation and education of children," is the basis of the family, the heritage and shared wealth of humanity. "Thus the Church cannot cease to announce that, in accordance with God's plans, marriage and the family are irreplaceable and admit no alternatives."
Pope Benedict XVI
Australia Catholic Bishop Blasts Taxing Families With Additional Children Archbishop of Sydney George Pell criticized the idea that has taken hold there that families who have more than two children should face additional taxes. A university professor originally floated the idea in December by suggesting couples should pay a $5,000 tax for supposedly hurting the environment. LifeNews
Maryland Bishops Issue Statement on Protecting Marriage Maryland should preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman because of that relationship's unique capacity to create new life, the bishops of Maryland said in a statement released January 5 and distributed to the state's 281 Catholic parishes.
"Marriage in Maryland: Securing the Foundation of Family and Society" was issued in advance of tomorrow's (January 9) start of the annual General Assembly session, in which bills to alter the legal definition of marriage in the state are expected. It is signed by Baltimore Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien, Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl and Wilmington Bishop Michael A. Saltarelli. 01/13/2008
"The Natural Family … Is a Cradle of Life and Love"This year, in my Message for today's World Day of Peace, I wanted to highlight the close relationship that exists between the family and building peace in the world. The natural family, founded on the marriage of a man and a woman, is "a "cradle of life and love'" and "the first and indispensable teacher of peace". For this very reason the family is "the primary "agency' of peace", and "the denial or even the restriction of the rights of the family, by obscuring the truth about man, threatens the very foundations of peace." Zenit 01/06/2008
Healthy society needs healthy families, Pope tells Sunday audience To the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope remarked that the Second Vatican Council had devoted considerable attention to the vocation of family life, and Pope John Paul II had been a tireless champion of solid Christian family life. CWNNews 12/31/2007
Pope Links Racy Media to Abuse of Women Benedict XVI says the scourge of trafficking of women and children in Southeast Asia is caused in part by the trivialization of sexuality in the media and entertainment.
...It must also be acknowledged that the decline in moral values, fueled by the trivialization of sexuality in the media and entertainment industries, leads to the degradation of women and even the abuse of children. 12/18/2007 Zenit
Benedict XVI: Drugs Plague Whole of Society The structures that facilitate trade in illegal narcotics entangle societies in webs of corruption, greed and exploitation, says Benedict XVI. "Not only does the flow of illegal narcotics do grave harm to those who abuse these substances, but the very structures necessary to facilitate this trade entangle society in a web of corruption, greed and exploitation. Zenit 12/16/2007
Vatican Seeking Spiritual Moms for Priests The Vatican Congregation for the Clergy is looking for people willing to offer Eucharistic adoration for the priesthood and "consecrated feminine souls" ready to become spiritual mothers of priests.
A new Web site from that Vatican dicastery offers explanations and resources both for the campaign to begin Eucharistic adoration and for those who would like to be spiritual mothers of priests, following the example of the Virgin Mary. Zenit 12/12/2007
Children in consumerist societies "risk losing hope," says Pope Benedict
The Holy Father turned to the young people of today who are, he said, "growing up in an atmosphere pervaded with messages that propose false models of happiness. These boys and girls risk losing hope because they often seem to be orphaned of that real love which fills life with meaning and joy," Pope Benedict warned. CNA 12/10/2007
Defend marriage and family life at all costs, Benedict XVI tells Africans
The cause of “the ills besetting some parts of African society, such as promiscuity, polygamy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, can be directly related to disordered notions of marriage and family life,” Benedict noted. CNA 11/19/2007
Archbishop condemns move to grant lesbians easier parenting rights Britain’s leading Roman Catholic churchman gives warning today that the role of a father in a child’s life will be undermined by legislation to make it easier for lesbian couples to become parents to test-tube babies. 11/19/2007
U.S. Bishops Support Changes In Child Tax Credit U.S. Catholic bishops urged the House of Representatives to make the well-being of poor families with children a central priority when they debate and vote on the Temporary Tax Relief Act of 2007 (H.R. 3996). USCCB 11/08/2007
Bishops To Review ‘For Your Marriage’ at November Meeting For Your Marriage, the U.S. bishops’ public awareness and marriage education campaign, will be discussed at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) 2007 general meeting in Baltimore, November 12-15. USCCB 11/06/2007
Iowa Catholic Conference supports marriage amendment to Iowa's Constitution The Iowa Catholic Conference approved a statement supporting the amendment of Iowa’s Constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman.
“Marriage between a man and a woman is a good from the perspectives of both natural law and our Catholic faith,” the statement reads. “Society has chosen to protect and promote marriage because of its unique contribution to the common good.”
In addition, the statement says that social engineering by judges or a legislature adds to the confusion about the good that marriage offers to society, and weakens the critical relationship between marriage and parenting. read statement 10/26/2007
Hispanics are key for defending marriage in the US, says Archbishop Chaput
When asked if the immigration debate prevents the Latino community from joining in pro-family activism, Archbishop Chaput answered, “unfortunately, Spanish-language media tend to emphasize that many politicians who promote family values are also against immigrants. It seems difficult to find officials who are strong pro-family or pro-life supporters and, at the same time, pro-immigration reform. CNA
Respect for life and protecting marriage are not just Catholic values, they are human values, declares the Pope
Countering the assertion by some segments of society that marriage, the family and the right to life are solely religious issues, Pope Benedict XVI reasoned that "[t]hese are not just 'Catholic' values and principles, but shared human values to be protected and safeguarded, like justice, peace and the defense of creation." CNA 10/19/2007
Pope laments collapse of marriages
Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday decried the collapse of marriages, telling tens of thousands of young Catholics that he was praying a crisis in traditional family values doesn't become an "irreversible failure." 09/01/2007
Catholic Adoption Agency in Scotland Will Close Before Giving Children to Homosexual Parents, Bishop States
The Catholic Bishop of Motherwell, Scotland, Reverend Joseph Devine, stated that a Catholic adoption agency would close rather than comply with the recent UK Sexual Orientation Regulations (SOR) and allow children to be adopted by homosexual couples.
California bishops back two of three proposed marriage-protection initiatives
The California Catholic Conference, which represents all the bishops in the state, has decided not to support a marriage-protection initiative that would also void domestic partnership rights. 08/01/2007
U.S. bishops back trust fund for affordable housing
The National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 will establish a National Housing Trust Fund, a dedicated source of funding for the production, preservation and rehabilitation of 1.5 million affordable homes in 10 years. At least 75 percent of the funds will be for housing for households that are extremely low income, earning less than 30 percent of an area's median income. 07/13/2007
Learning From Our Catholic Heroes How To Be Catholic "The most ignoble aspect of the defeat (of the Mass. marriage amendment) was the massive betrayals by Catholics — certainly legislators, but also indirectly voters and clergy — that made such a setback possible. Many were simply not God’s good servants at all."
"The Lord challenges us to leaven society through our preaching and living of the Gospel, but rather than Catholics’ altering society for the better, it seems that society has been changing Catholics for the worse." Fr. Roger J. Landry 06/22/2007
Mass. bishops call marriage amendment vote tragic The Catholic bishops of Massachusetts said in a statement that this action of, "Ignoring the will of more than 170,000 people who signed the marriage petition and blocking the people from exercising their right to vote is tragic." 06/15/2007
A Shepherd Speaks: Lack of gun control is not the cause of Virginia Tech slaughter Mentally ill need multi-faceted strategy. Our society seems to be in massive denial concerning prevalence of mental illness, and consequently, the easiest "treatment" and quick fix for society is gun control. 05/10/2007
Cardinal urges Congress to continue funding abstinence programs (USCCB) Cardinal Justin Rigali has urged the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to maintain continued funding levels for abstinence education for young people, as well as the current legal standards that maintain its integrity. The full text of the Cardinal’s letter 05/09/2007
Colorado Catholic Conference asks governor to veto same-sex adoption bill
“House Bill 1330 was drafted in a manner that did not take into consideration the many voices, groups, and organizations who are directly involved with family life matters and adoptions,” the organization said in a statement yesterday. “Input from adoption agencies, such as Catholic Charities, was not sought during the drafting process of this legislation.”04/18/2007
Gay marriage evil, abortion terrorism: Vatican In an address to chaplains, Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was the latest in a string of speeches made by either Pope Benedict or other Vatican officials as Italy considers giving more rights to gays.
Pope Benedict encourages divorced Catholics to live their Christian lives as fully as possible Pope Benedict XVI today addressed the “painful situations” of those who have been married in the Church and have been divorced and remarried, an issue he called a “complex and troubling pastoral problem.” The Holy Father recalled that although divorced and remarried Catholics cannot receive Holy Communion, they are still called “to live as fully as possible the Christian life.” 03/14/2007
Archbishop of Denver Backs General Pace on belief that Homosexual Acts are Immoral 03/23/2007
Vatican Prelate: Catholics will “do everything possible” to prevent Homosexual Civil Unions Bishop Sgreccia, says, ”Everything based on untruths is destined to damage someone, if not many people.”
Legislation permitting de facto and same-sex unions would be so damaging to family life and society that Catholics will do “everything possible” to ensure the laws do not pass, the head of the Pontifical Academy for Life said last week.
Rhode Island bishop blasts gay union recognition “It is clear that the attorney general’s thinking on this issue has been influenced by the relentless gay agenda so prevalent in our state,” Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin said in a written statement. 02/23/2007
Texas Catholic Bishops Issue Statement on HPV Vaccine Mandate The Roman Catholic Bishops of Texas are asking Governor Perry to rescind his order. A statement released Wednesday evening says in part, "We find the Governor’s executive order to be problematic in several ways..." it goes on to say “the HPV vaccine is a new vaccine that has only been tested among girls 16 and older. While results from these tests are encouraging, clinicians have very little experience administering the vaccine to 12 year-old girls.” 02/20/2007
Condom handout a failure of leadership, NY bishops say The bishops described the initiative as "tragic and misguided,” and said that "our political leaders fail to protect the moral tone of our community when they encourage inappropriate sexual activity by blanketing our neighborhoods with condoms," the statement said. 02/16/2007
Cardinal says genetic testing legislation should be amended Rigali warns that new bill could lead to rejection of children with disabililites. Cardinal Justin Rigali called on Congress to correct an “unfortunate and apparently unintentional loophole” in the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (H.R. 493), which might discourage parents from adopting or bearing children with disabilities. 02/14/2007
Vancouver archbishop attacks cell phone porn campaign Archbishop Raymond Roussin of Vancouver is speaking up and threatening to take action after Canadian cell-provider Telus announced its decision to make pornographic photos and videos available through its cell phones. 02/12/2007
San Francisco Archbishop "very happy" about plan regarding homosexual adoptions. “I’m really very happy with the decision made by the Catholic Charities CEO,” which, “was to work with the program on the Internet for finding homes for children, posting their pictures and being able to guide people who would be interested in this particular child to an adoption agency which could handle the situation.” 02/07/2007
Families themselves must work to protect life and the family, Pope reminds The Pope once again called on "all men and women of good will" to be open to the "great and mysterious gift of life." He underlined the fact that life must not be denied to anybody, "even the smallest and most defenseless unborn child, even more so when the child has serious disabilities." 02/04/2007
Concept of Marriage Is Eroding, Warns Pope Cautions Against "Pastoral Good" Which Negates Truth Relativism is eroding the concept of marriage, even among Catholics, says Benedict XVI. 01/30/2007
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor on Homosexual Adoption "This Is an Appeal for 'Fair Play'" Here is the letter Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor sent today to the prime minister and Cabinet regarding legislation on adoption by homosexual couples. 01/23/2007
Pope Benedict asks government officials to pass legislation “of the family and for the family” Turning to the question of the family, the Pope said that the "intrinsic value and authentic motivations" of marriage and the family, "need today to be better understood. To this end, the Church's pastoral commitment is great and must grow further. But equally necessary are polices of the family and for the family," that translate into initiatives to help young couples form a family, have children and educate them. 01/11/2007
Raise Federal Minimum Wage, Catholic Bishops Urge Congress “The minimum wage needs to be raised not just for the goods and services a person can buy but for the self-esteem and self-worth it affords,” said the letter signed by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, chairman of the bishops’ Domestic Policy Committee. 01/08/2007
Bishop Yanta: Large Families are a Sign of God's Blessing "Every child is a gift," Bishop Yanta wrote, pointing out the blessing of a large family while at the same time acknowledging the challenges faced by parents of big families. He encouraged his parishioners not to be afraid of having many children, saying "it takes strong faith to have a large family."
Study on condom use and AIDS awaits action by doctrinal office, pope An "exhaustive" Vatican study requested by Pope Benedict XVI on condom use in HIV prevention is awaiting a response from the church's doctrinal office and the pope, a senior Vatican official said.
Help young people see value of marriage, pope urges German bishops
Pope: Abortion, Divorce, Homosexual Unions "are evident signs of de-Christianization"
Vatican City Cardinal Says Fidelity In Marriage And Chastity Can Fight AIDS A Vatican City cardinal has highlighted fidelity in marriage and premarital abstinence from sex to be the best methods in the fight against AIDS.
Cultural pressures destroying families, says Pope Pope Benedict XVI today dedicated one of his last public messages in 2006 to families, who he said were assailed by cultural pressures threatening to destroy the family as a social institution.
U.S. Catholic bishop receives civil-rights award for marriage stance Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison received a national civil rights award for his actions in support of a state constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage.
Father Cantalamessa on the Family When "We Are Not Pursuing the Child's Good …"
We know that the best way to weaken a reality or a word is to thin it out, to make it banal, making it embrace different and even contradictory things. This happens if homosexual couples are put on the same footing with a marriage between a man and a woman.
Archdiocese slams new law recognizing gay unions and shows support for embattled Mexican cardinal In a statement, the Council said the new norm, which opens the door to gay marriage, is a response to “minority and radical groups” and “shows contempt for the view of the majority of Catholics,” who “represent more than 80% of our city’s population.”
Marriage is defendable on human reason alone, says bishop Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison explained that some things are objectively true and intrinsically good based on reason. “When we recognize the objective truth, we need to reconcile ourselves to that truth, never the other way around – this is the natural law,” he stated.
Vatican Secretary of State: Dissident Catholics More Worrying than Atheists Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone's, through a translator stated, "the church doesn't really worry about atheists, however devout, because they're out of her spiritual jurisdiction, so to speak. Much more worrisome are those inside the church who work to distort its faith and moral principles, or who oppose the pope and his design for renewal of the church."
An Interview With Father John Harvey of Courage International on the Pastoral Care for Those With Same-Sex Attraction In the present state of scientific knowledge, however, this is no evidence that homosexuality is a condition, that it is passed down through a particular homosexual gene or is caused by a certain hormone. From what we know today, the main factors leading to a homosexual tendency all have to do with environment: family environment, school environment, adolescent environment.
Baltimore Cardinal calls for offensive against pornography Studies have shown that the largest group of viewers of Internet porn is young people between ages 12 and 17, and that most parents are unaware that this issue is affecting their children, he said.
US Bishops Draft Document to Warn of Harm Caused by Contraception to Marriage, Family & Society The document is entitled “Married Love and the Gift of Life” and talks of the “false note” that contraception introduces to a marriage. As an ethical alternative, the document supports Natural Family Planning which, used under the right circumstances, “enables couples to cooperate with the body as God designed it."
Families Under Pressure: Marriage, Funding and Faith Intertwine by Fr. John Flynn
Six Important Trends in Marriage and Family Life The National Marriage Project recently published “The State of Our Unions 2006,” which outlines six trends in marriage and family life over the last four decades. For a complete version of the report, please go to The National Marriage Project website.
Marriage and Same-Sex Unions From the USCCB Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth
Help young people see value of marriage, pope urges German bishops
"Married Love and the Gift of Life"
Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelines for Pastoral Care
Bishops call for greater knowledge, use of natural family planning
Archbishop Myers speaks out on New Jersey marriage ruling
Marriage is defendable on human reason alone, says bishop
US Bishops Draft Document to Warn of Harm Caused by Contraception to Marriage, Family & Society
The document is entitled “Married Love and the Gift of Life” and talks of the “false note” that contraception introduces to a marriage. As an ethical alternative, the document supports Natural Family Planning which, used under the right circumstances, “enables couples to cooperate with the body as God designed it."
Bishop Tobin says same-sex marriage is ‘spiritually harmful’
Benedict says families should not be driven by “hedonism and relativism”
Proposal on chaplains' prayers could hurt military, archbishop says
Bishops Administrative Committee Reaffirms Support For Federal Marriage Amendment. The Administrative Committee of the USCCB formally and unanimously reaffirmed its position of support for the amendment as expressed in Promote, Preserve, Protect Marriage; endorsed again a two-fold strategy of education and advocacy concerning the amendment; and requested that Bishop Skylstad communicate with all the bishops concerning the reaffirmation, the strategy, and its implementation.
Bishop Sees Growing Support For A Marriage Protection Amendment -
Bishop Joseph R. Kurtz Chairman of the Committee on Marriage and Family, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), urges passage of the Marriage Protection Amendment.
Bishops Head Welcomes Vatican Statement on Legal Recognition of Unions Between Homosexual Persons
The President of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB), Bishop Wilton D. Gregory welcomed the Vatican document and states, “With the purpose of protecting the common good and preserving the family, the document affirms ‘There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family.’”
Archbishop Chaput asks for support of Federal Marriage Amendment Archbishop Charles Chaput has urged Catholics to contact their senators and encourage them to vote for the federal amendment. The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on a federal marriage amendment this this week.
New Vatican document reiterates marriage as the only appropriate place for human procreation
Cardinal Rodé: The Church cannot negotiate on defense of the family Cardinal Franc Rodé, said that the Catholic Church "cannot negotiate" the defense of marriage as the exclusive union of a man and a woman.
