Catalan institute seeks to change definition of marriage to include homosexuals

Madrid, Spain, May 27, 2008 / 12:21 pm

The Spanish association E-Cristians is urging the Catalan Institute of Language not to move ahead with its plan to modify the official definition of marriage to include homosexual unions.

“Our first objection is that of the universal nature of definitions.  Marriage is understood throughout the world as a union between a man and a woman,” the Christian association explained.

The integrity of the Catalan language needed to be safeguarded, E-Cristians said, adding that, legislation to change the concept in Spanish should not be applied to the Catalan dictionary. This type of move would limit the scope of that language in an effort to apply national uniformity.  E-Cristians noted that the Spanish Royal Academy of Language has avoided changing the definition in Spanish “because this language isn’t limited to one just one region either.”

“In our society marriage is still understood to mean the union of two people of the opposite sex,” the association stated, underscoring that “homosexuals are a minority made up of about 2-3% of the population” and that “this group is not very inclined to marriage.”

“There is also an etymological reason,” E-Cristians said.  “The root of the word matrimony necessarily points to the presence of a woman linked to maternity.”