The Role of Civil Unions, October 21, 2020 by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone Earlier today it was reported that in a new documentary, Francesco, Pope Francis stated, “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God. You can’t kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.” AP Story Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone responds:
Memo to Priests July 30, 2020: Reopening for public Masses, part 6 PDF English | Spanish For over four months now we have been deprived of the usual way in which we Catholics keep holy the Sabbath. As a sacramental Church, it is in our nature, indeed it is our very identity, to physically gather together to worship and share in the Eucharist. I’m sure that you, just as I, are very concerned about the long-term effects this will have on our people’s spiritual health. As you might imagine, many people are giving me advice (sometimes more like orders!) about what I should do, and it is often contradictory. I detect no unified sense of how the Church should proceed in these unprecedented times. Please know, though, that I have been working very hard over these past several months to try to convince our local authorities in the City and County of San Francisco (which still allows only outdoor gatherings with a limit of 12) that we can resume in-person worship services in a safe and …
Earlier today it was reported that in a new documentary, Francesco, Pope Francis stated, “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God. You can’t kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.” AP Story Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone responds: “In our bishops region’s audience with Pope Francis last January during our ad limina visit (the visit diocesan bishops make every five years to the Vatican), the topic of civil unions came up in conversation. The Holy Father clearly differentiated between a civil arrangement which accords mutual benefits to two people, and marriage. The former, he said, can in no way be equated to marriage, which remains unique. “I would add that a civil union of this type (one which is not equated to marriage) should be as inclusive as possible, and not be restricted to two people of the same sex in a presumed sexual relationship. There is no reason, for example, why a brother and a sister, both of whom are unmarried and support each other, should not have access to these kinds of benefits. Marriage is unique because it is the only institution that connects children to their mothers and fathers, and therefore is presumed to be a sexual relationship. Indeed, the sexual relationship that marriage is presumed to involve is the only kind by which children are naturally made. The nature of marriage, the place of sex within a virtuous life, these great teachings of the Church come to us from God, are illuminated by reason, and do not change.”