Stand against threat from gay marriage, head of the Catholic church will tell ... - Daily Mail

• Archbishop of Westminster will warn legalising gay marriage 'threatens true meaning of a sacred union'

By John Stevens

Last updated at 5:26 AM on 6th March 2012

Churchgoers are to be urged to take a stand against gay marriage by the leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales.

In a letter to be read from 2,500 pulpits during mass this Sunday, the Archbishop of Westminster will warn that David Cameron's pledge to legalise homosexual marriage would threaten the true meaning of a sacred union.

In a significant intervention in the gay marriage debate, the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols will urge the country's five million Roman Catholics to sign petitions and lobby their MPs about the changes.

Controversy: The letter by Reverend Nichols (left) argues marriage between a man and a woman is at the 'foundation of our society'. Lord Carey (right) said no one had the right to redefine the institution

The letter warns that plans to extend marriage to same-sex couples would be a 'profoundly radical step' that reduces it to a vague commitment between two people.

The text, which is co-signed by the RC Archbishop of Southwark, the Most Reverend Peter Smith, argues that marriage between a man and a woman is at the 'foundation of our society'.

In an article for the Daily Mail last month, Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote: 'Marriage precedes both the state and the church, and neither of these institutions have the right to redefine it in such a fundamental way.'

The last time the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church used a pastoral letter to intervene on a political issue, during attempts to inflict quotas on faith schools in 2007, the government climbed down within days.

The letter is expected to have a more moderate tone than comments made at the weekend by Keith O'Brien, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, who described gay marriage proposals as grotesque.

Cardinal O'Brien insisted that the reforms would shame the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world.

Backing: The Prime Minister is a strong supporter of plans to legalise same-sex marriage

He said: 'Since all the legal rights of marriage are already available to homosexual couples, it is clear this proposal is not about rights but rather is an attempt to redefine marriage at the behest of a small minority of activists.

'If marriage can be redefined so that it no longer means a man and a woman but two men or two women, why stop there? Why not allow three men, or a woman and two men, to constitute a marriage, if they pledge their fidelity to one another?'

The Prime Minister is a strong supporter of plans to legalise same-sex marriage, which are also supported by the Lib Dems, and are set to be formally unveiled later this month.

But the proposal has divided the Conservative Party and put Mr Cameron on a collision course with religious leaders.

Civil partnerships were introduced for gay couples in 2005 but by law they cannot be referred to as marriages.

The clergymen are the latest to denounce the Government's backing for marriage to include gay couples. In January, the Anglican Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, insisted governments did not have the moral authority to redefine marriage.

If the law is changed, Britain will become the seventh European country to recognise same-sex marriage, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and Norway.

The Catholic archbishops' letter also appears to challenge Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone's remarks last week that the church does not 'own' marriage and that the state was entitled to make changes to the institution.

'The reasons given by our Government for wanting to change the definition of marriage are those of equality and discrimination,' the letter says.

'But our present law does not discriminate unjustly when it requires both a man and a woman for marriage. It simply recognises and protects the distinctive nature of marriage.

'Changing the legal definition of marriage would be a profoundly radical step. Its consequences should be taken seriously now.

'There would be no recognition of the complementarity of male and female or that marriage is intended for the procreation and education of children.

'The roots of the institution of marriage lie in our nature. This pattern is affirmed by many other religious traditions – understood as a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman.'

Share this article: