The Catholic bishops of California have released the following statement in response to the ruling by the California Supreme Court in the Proposition 8 case:

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Ron George, said: “We conclude that Proposition 8 constitutes a permissible constitutional amendment…We further conclude that…the marriages of same-sex couples performed prior to the effective date of Proposition 8 remain valid.”

Speaking for the California Catholic Conference of Bishops, the Most Reverend Stephen E. Blaire, said:

“We laud the California Supreme Court’s confirmation of Proposition 8 which preserves the traditional understanding of marriage in the state’s constitution.  We, however, are disappointed that the same Court validated the interim same-sex ‘marriages.’ “Natural Law scholar and Princeton Professor, Robert P. George echoes our thoughts when he wrote:

‘No matter what, the law will teach. It will either teach that marriage exists as a natural institution with public purposes and meanings, centered around bridging the gender divide, and bringing together one man and one woman to share their lives as husband and wife and to become father and mother to their children, or it will teach that marriage is a mere creation of the state, recognizing and condoning the private sexual choices of adults...’
—Our Marital Future, April 23, 2007

“As Catholic bishops we are strongly committed to protecting the dignity and worth of every human person.  We endorse the intent of law to provide equal protection for all.  However, such purpose does not have to trump the natural and traditional definition of marriage between a man and a woman.  The law has found other ways to regulate civil unions without destroying the traditional understanding of marriage.

“We believe—as do the majority of Californians—that marriage between a man and a woman is foundational to our culture and crucial for human perpetuity.”

Additional information

Download a PDF file of the California Catholic Conference News Release → English Spanish

Statement of Archbishop George Niederauer, Archdiocese of San Francisco

Statement of Bishop John Steinback, Diocese of Fresno

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