Newman Society Issues Marriage Statement on Steps of U.S. Supreme Court
July 1, 2015, at 12:41 PM | By CNS Staff |
Vice President Bob Laird today issued a Cardinal Newman Society statement on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court to press for religious freedom as well as sustained fidelity in Catholic schools and colleges to the truth about marriage.
LifeSiteNews organized the press conference in response to the Court’s ruling last week in Obergefell v. Hodges, even as the nation prepares to celebrate American independence and the religious freedom upon which America was founded. Laird, the Newman Society’s vice president for program development, issued the following statement:
The Cardinal Newman Society is committed to promoting and defending faithful Catholic education, which must continue to teach what the Catholic Church has always taught regarding the sanctity of marriage as an indissoluble bond between one man and one woman.
Five Supreme Court justices may have changed the legal status of same-sex marriages under the law, but they have not and cannot change the essence and meaning of marriage as understood by nearly every society in the history of man.
More now than ever, Catholic elementary schools, high schools, colleges and universities must make a concerted effort to teach the truth, beauty, and goodness about traditional marriage, chastity and family, and their essential roles in salvation and the health of society.
Catholic education must present a united front and lead the evangelization of our culture, even in the face of continuing efforts to harass and force the Church to betray the truth.
It is a grave violation of a Catholic institution’s religious freedom to attempt to force them in any way to accept the definition of marriage outside of the clear teachings of the Catholic Church. This includes the forced provision of employment benefits or changes to employment policies that would have the obvious effect of contradicting Catholic teaching.
Catholic schools and colleges have the legal protection of the First Amendment to the Constitution and various statutes and they must be proactive in asserting their rights to be truly Catholic under the law.
Faithful Catholic educators will not concede their rights in a free society, and The Cardinal Newman Society will work with them to use every available means to oppose violations of religious freedom.
We must be clear about this: regardless of discrimination or government coercion, faithful Catholics must continue to teach the Truth. This is our right as Americans, and our duty as Catholics.
The Cardinal Newman Society will continue to promote and defend faithful Catholic educators who teach the Truth, we will call out any Catholic institution that denies it, and we will challenge the legitimacy of any government law or authority that infringes upon it.
The Court’s decision “follows the path of Canada, Britain, Spain, and other countries in significantly imperiling the freedom of families and Christians nationwide,” said John-Henry Westen, editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews.
“Support for real marriage is good for children and parents, good for society, and good for America,” he said.
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