Orlando, Fla., Aug 3, 2006 / 22:00 pm
The Knights of Columbus have adopted, this week, significant resolutions on a number of critical social issues including marriage, the sacredness of life, the Pledge of Allegiance, school choice, and support for military men and women.
The resolutions, adopted yesterday at the 124th Supreme Council Meeting, held in Orlando, Florida, serve to formally state the Knights’ stance on the issues, most of which they have been involved with previously.
The first resolution states that Marriage, which is the foundation of society and provides the best environment for raising children, “is under siege in our culture” by the movement to legalize same-sex unions.
In this context, the Knights resolved to defend the principle that marriage is based on a love between one man and one woman and to oppose all attempts to legalize same-sex marriage. They resolved that they would join with the bishops throughout the world in their efforts to achieve legal and constitutional protection for the traditional definition of marriage.
Regarding life issues, they resolved to live up to their reputation as “defenders of life” and to encourage elected officials to pass legislation which prohibits the use of public funds to finance programs that degrade the value of life, whether that be abortion or embryonic stem-cell research. They also resolved to call for a law that protects the right of conscience for medical professionals and to make known their opposition to the death penalty.
They expressed their support for parental notification laws and resolved to demonstrate compassion for distressed pregnant women by supporting programs that offer alternatives to abortion.
The Knights resolved to defend the inclusion of the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. They will be interveners in the lawsuit challenging the wording of the Pledge currently pending before the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
The Catholic men’s organization further resolved to encourage legislation that would establish educational choice programs, providing financial assistance to parents who wish to send their children to Catholic schools.
Finally, as they have done for decades, they reaffirmed their support for and expressed profound gratitude to, the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces. They pledged to continue praying for military personnel deployed around the world and for their safe return home.
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