Ecuadorian bishops lament court's recognition of same-sex marriage

Quito, Ecuador, Jun 14, 2019 / 17:01 pm

The Ecuadorian bishops' conference expressed Thursday their rejection of the recognition of same-sex marriage by the Constitutional Court, and recalled that a marriage is comprised of one man and one woman.

The Constitutional Court recognized gay marriage June 12 in a 5-4 decision.

The minority opinion stated that "the proper avenue for recognizing marriage equality is the procedure to amend the constitution, which is the competency of the National Assembly."

The majority opinion judges stated that they based their decision on one by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights and by interpreting Article 67 of the Constitution of Ecuador "in light of the constitutional norms favorable to the equality of persons and which rejects all types of discrimination."

In a statement published June 13, the bishops pointed out that "the Constitutional Court under no argument is entitled to reform the content of the Constitution of the Republic including the concept  of marriage, defined in its Art. 67 as the union of one man and one woman."

The prelates also noted that "two judges on the Constitutional Court were morally and legally impeded from participating in processing these cases, as they have been lawyers in cases advancing this cause and advocates of marriage equality before being appointed judges and moreover, they previously publicly expressed their criteria in support of this claim."

The Ecuadorian bishops recalled that "the definition of marriage, as the union of a man and a woman was approved by the Ecuadorian people through the referendum held in 2008, with 63% of the vote, precisely to protect and strengthen the institution of marriage which is the only one that guarantees the continuance of the human species and its free development, therefore five judges simply cannot go against the sovereign will of Ecuadorians."

The bishops reaffirmed their commitment to respect for human rights regardless of "age, race, sex, religion, sexual orientation or culture," and reiterated their desire to "promote marriage between a man and a woman … as the foundation of the family and of society, an institution that must be recognized and guaranteed by the Ecuadorian Government."

The bishops said that the recognition of marriage and the family is finally a "religious freedom right, recognized by the Secular State of Ecuador."

In conclusion, the bishops committed to "teaching children and young people that marriage according to the Christian faith is the indissoluble union between a man and a woman and that, as a fruit of that love, children are born for society and the Kingdom of God."