Bishop supports Chilean Supreme Court decision to deny lesbian judge custody of children

Santiago, Chile, Jun 3, 2004 / 22:00 pm

The Secretary General of the Bishops Conference of Chile, Bishop Manuel Camilo Vial, expressed his support this week for the decision of the country’s Supreme Court to deny a judge custody of her three daughters after the woman left her husband for a lesbian lover.

The case of Judge Karen Atala attracted the attention of Chilean public opinion when she requested custody of her three children after separating from her husband and entering into a homosexual relationship.

Lower courts had sided with Atala, opening the door for her to gain custody and for the legal adoption of minors by homosexual couples.

The decision was appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled on Tuesday against the lower court and granting full custody of the three children to the father.

Homosexual groups are using the case to promote new “rights,” saying they will appeal the decision to the Inter American Court for Human Rights.

Bishop Vial said he was “absolutely in agreement” with the Supreme Court ruling, and he pointed out that the high court focused on “the situation of the minors during the time the mother was in the home versus the current situation.   They concluded that the signs indicated that the children’s lives were being inadequately influenced.”

Bishop Vial added that the seeking of the highest good for children “is the purpose of the decision that was made, and I think that it is also the value of the Supreme Court’s ruling.”