Polish Cardinal says analogy between marriage and homosexual unions not possible

Madrid, Spain, Nov 7, 2004 / 22:00 pm

During a visit to the University of Navarre in Spain, Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, said there could be no justification for homosexual unions.

“I cannot understand why people don’t see the public interest in recognizing and protecting the institution of marriage.  If people could see it, it would be impossible to find any basis for making homosexual unions equivalent to marriage; there is no analogy whatsoever here,” the Cardinal explained.

“God has endowed nature with wise laws, for the good of humanity,” the Cardinal continued. “These laws cannot be violated without serious risks.  Human nature is eloquent regarding the complementarity of the sexes, the tendency of marriage towards procreation, etc.”

At the same time he clarified, “By this I don’t mean that all those who experience a homosexual inclination are personally culpable, but rather that homosexual conduct is ‘objectively disordered,’ as the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us.  Just as it would be unacceptable to approve of these types of relations, so, too, all unjust discrimination against homosexual persons would be unacceptable.”

With regards to religious education, the Cardinal said, “If the State or the Church appropriates unto itself the principal role or does not give due support, they would seriously violate the rights of parents and children.  Respect for the right of parents implies effectively supporting their decision when they consider important an adequate religious education for their children, which by themselves they aren’t able to provide,” he warned.