Madrid, Spain, Jul 5, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Bishop Jose Sanchez Gonzalez of Sigüenza-Guadalajara, Spain, said this week opposition to same-sex marriage is not tantamount to discrimination against homosexuals, but rather the favoring of the institutions of marriage and the family.
In a statement, Bishop Sanchez Gonzalez clarified that same-sex couples are not denied marriage because they are homosexuals, “but rather because they are two men or two women and not a man and a woman.”
Marriage, he said, is “the life-long union in love and fidelity of a man and a woman, open to the transmission of life and the raising of children.” Therefore, “only a man and a woman can have the right to contract marriage,” unless some legitimate impediment exists.
The bishop explained that homosexuals have “the perfect right, and they are correct to do so, to demand the same treatment that others get in as much as their dignity and fundamental rights are concerned and to fight against any discrimination in this respect.” Nevertheless, “they cannot demand that the nature of things be changed, such as with the case of marriage or the right to adopt minors.”
Likewise, he recalled that legislators must respect the institution of marriage because of its precedence over the state. The bishop also expressed his hope that the pro-family demonstrations of June 18 will have a lasting impact on the country.