Lisbon, Portugal, Jan 11, 2010 / 17:04 pm
Despite opposition from the Bishops’ Conference of Portugal as well as from a large portion of the country, Portugal’s Parliament passed a law last Friday making same-sex unions equal to marriage.
Europa Press reported that the bill, sponsored by the Portuguese government, was approved largely through the efforts of left-wing lawmakers despite opposition from numerous representatives.
Cardinal Jose da Cruz Policarpo of Lisbon said, “The problem is not homosexuality,” but rather “what is at stake is the nature of marriage,” understood to be the union of one man and one woman.
“What is at stake is not a religious issue but rather a cultural one,” the cardinal said.
The executive committee of the bishops’ conference had already expressed the prelates' strong opposition to any law that “would make homosexual unions equal to marriage, which is where families are formed based upon the love between one man and one woman.”
“The unique, distinct and incomparable identity of the family, founded upon the marriage between one man and one woman, deserves to be recognized, without mixing it up or confusing it with other forms of living together.”
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