Majority approval does not guarantee justness and morality of laws

Madrid, Spain, Nov 14, 2004 / 22:00 pm

The secretary general and spokesman of the Bishops Conference of Spain, Fr. Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, criticized the government’s proposal to make homosexual unions equal to marriage, emphasizing that “there are many unjust laws that were approved by the majority.”

“There are things that, while they may be legal, will never by just or moral, if they are against human dignity and human institutions such as marriage,” he said of the Socialist government’s proposal that has majority support in Parliament.

Speaking on the Spanish network Telecinco, Martinez Camino lamented that there is a desire to make “the covenant of love open to life and to children between a man and a woman” equivalent to same-sex unions, which “the Socialist Party (PSOE) did not campaign for during the elections.”  “In any case, it is not embraced by the Church, or by reason or justice, and it should be corrected if the common good is to be served,” he said.

Campaign about euthanasia

Referring to an informational campaign launched by the bishops against euthanasia which began this Sunday, Martinez Camino said it is not aimed at “responding to the government’s proposals” but rather it is an effort “by the bishops to fulfill their obligation to ensure Catholics know the Catholic position” regarding this issue.  It is a position “which can be perfectly defended by reasonable arguments,” he underscored.

Funding for the Church

Regarding State funding for the Church, Fr. Martinez Camino said the State should maintain “a channel of financial assistance” for the Church because “it provides social services to millions of people.”

He added that the Church as a human institution needs resources.  “The Church gives more than it receives,” he emphasized, pointing out that what the Church receives from the State in funding is equivalent to what a small company spends on marketing. “$142,000 of the $181,000 that is received comes from Catholics who have requested their deductions be set aside for the Church,” he underscored.