Venezuelan bishops call on lawmakers to respect “moral patrimony” of marriage

Caracas, Venezuela, Feb 9, 2006 / 22:00 pm

In response to a proposal in the National Assembly to speed up passage of homosexual unions, the president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Ubaldo Santana, called for respect for the “moral patrimony” of marriage as the exclusive union between a man and a woman.

In comments to the newspaper La Verdad, Archbishop Santana emphasized that marriage itself “is a moral patrimony.  We’re not dealing with a fancy or crazy idea. This must be considered with all of the attention and respect it deserves.”  “We are willing to defend our position in due time,” he continued.  “It’s the position not only of the Catholic Church, but also of other religious such as Judaism and Islam,” the archbishop noted.

“Whether or not a law is passed in Venezuela, we are going to pay attention,” Archbishop Santana underscored.  “And not only do the bishops need to be heard on this; the voice of the people needs to be heard.  We don’t think this is something that should be thrown overboard just because a few lawmakers decide to approve this type of law.”

The proposal to legalize homosexual unions has been on the government’s agenda since 2002 and is included in a measure entitled, “Law on Sexual Minorities.”