Children at Catholic schools have been sent home with glossy booklets that oppose gay marriage following a request by the Archbishop of Melbourne. The 15-page booklet, "Don't Mess With Marriage" said redefining marriage would have "far-reaching consequences". "All marriages would come to be defined by intensity of emotion rather than a union founded on sexual complementarily and potential fertility."
The Safe Schools Coalition, which works to create a safe environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender students, urged principals not to distribute the material. The coalition's co-ordinator, Roz Ward, said the material could damage the mental health and wellbeing of same-sex attracted young people, by suggesting their relationships were unnatural or not as important.
"At school it is particularly important that they can feel they can be themselves and valued for who they. In a situation where you feel that is not valued, everything else becomes more difficult." She said same-sex families who sent their children to Catholic schools would see this as a "direct attack on their existence as gay Catholics". Read More
Russian Orthodox Church ends ties with protestants over gay marriage
The Russian Orthodox Church says it is severing ties with the main protestant churches of France and Scotland over the issue of same-sex unions. The Moscow Patriarchate said that "formal contacts" with the two institutions were pointless after France's United Protestant Church last month voted to allow pastors to bless same-sex marriages and the Church of Scotland approved ordaining clergy in same-sex civil unions.
"We regretfully acknowledge, that today we have a new divide in the Christian world, not only regarding theological subjects, but regarding moral issues as well," the patriarchate said in a statement.
The Moscow Patriarchate noted that it had previously suspended ties with the U.S. Episcopal Church in 2003 after it consecrated an openly gay bishop, and with Sweden's Lutheran Church after it sanctioned ceremonies for civil unions in 2005. Read More
Vatican: Children need heterosexual parents, says pope after gay pride march
Pope Francis stressed the importance of children having heterosexual parents, just a day after Rome’s gay pride march demonstrated the changing attitudes about same-sex couples outside the Vatican walls. Addressing around 25,000 followers from the Diocese of Rome, the pope said the differences between men and women are fundamental and “an integral part of being human.”
The pontiff likened a long-lasting marriage to a good wine, in which a husband and wife make the most of their gender differences.
“They’re not scared of the differences!” the pope said. “What great richness this diversity is, a diversity which becomes complementary, but also reciprocal. It binds them, one to the other.” Heterosexual marriages not only ensured couples’ happiness, the pontiff said, but were essential for good parenting. Read More
Italy: LGBT pride to demand respect for human rights
Twenty floats, a procession and thousands of participants--the 21st annual Roma Pride was a parade full of color, music and fun. A party with a serious message: the recognition of the rights, as recently happened with the referendum in Ireland. Organizers said over 250,000 attended the event. Leading the march, the mayor of Rome, Ignazio Marino , who commented: "We are here to celebrate. Rome, the host city, the city that believes in love, has made romises and kept them all. In Rome love counts." Read More
Iran: Bishop Leo Boccardi, the Holy See Ambassador to Iran seeks interfaith response to gay marriage
Bishop eo Boccardi, the Holy See Ambassador to Iran says that he would like to see an interfaith solution to problems such as the legalization of gay marriage in Ireland. The Apostolic Nuncio to Ira made his comments during a meeting with Ayatollah Hosseini Boushehri, the President of Iran's Seminary Schools.
Boccardi is quoted saying, "A referendum in Ireland took place that legalizes marriage between two men. Now what should we do and how can we respond to this?... My hope is that religions can start a dialogue among themselves and keep close contacts to address problems of this sort."
When asked by his host about the reason for the lack of a strong response from the Vatican against the spread of homosexuality, he said, "In today's societies, secularism is institutionalized and the separation of church and state has made religion a personal choice... Over the past 50 years, a trend has been growing that distinguishes between morality and faith, allowing the people of faith to commit immoral acts." Read More
Vatican says Ireland gay marriage vote is 'defeat for humanity'
A senior Vatican official has attacked the legalisation of gay marriage in Ireland. “I was deeply saddened by the result,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state. “The church must take account of this reality, but in the sense that it must strengthen its commitment to evangelisation. I think that you cannot just talk of a defeat for Christian principles, but of a defeat for humanity.”
The remarks by the Vatican’s top diplomat, who is seen as second only to the pope in the church’s hierarchy, represent the most damning assessment of the Irish vote by a senior church official to date.
It was a far more critical response than the circumspect reaction offered by archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, who said: “It is very clear that if this referendum is an affirmation of the views of young people … [then the church needs] a reality check.”
While the results were celebrated by advocates of gay rights in Ireland and around the world, it was also seen as a stark symbol of how wide the chasm has grown between young people in what has traditionally been a staunchly Catholic country and the church itself, which says that homosexual acts are a sin and vehemently opposes gay marriage. Read More
US: North Carolina allows officials to refuse to perform gay marriages
North Carolina House of Representatives overrode Gov. Pat McCrory’s veto of a new bill that allows magistrates to refuse to marry any couple if they have a “sincerely held religious objection.” The Senate already overrode the veto, meaning the bill is now law. In addition to exempting magistrates, the measure permits registers of deeds to refuse to issue marriage licenses to any couple on religious grounds. From now on, a magistrate or register of deeds need only assert that serving a gay couple (or interracial couple, or interfaith couple) violates her religious beliefs. As soon as she does, she will be allowed to refuse to do her job. Read More
Poland: Parliament drops civil partnership debate
The Sejm lower parliamentary house has voted against a debate on a bill which would regulate civil partnerships – both heterosexual and homosexual – in Poland. The proposed law – which was put forward by the Democratic Left Alliance – foresees the possibility of joint payment of income tax, the right to inheritance as well as social security benfits in the event of one of the partner’s deaths. However, the bill will likely now be shelved after MPs overwhelmingly voted against any discussion on the matter.
“We are lied to by politicians – mostly conservative – who say that Poland is not ready for civil partnerships, let alone [same-sex] marriage,” said head of the Campaign Against Homophobia, Agata Chaber. “That is a lie, Poland is ready,” she said. Read More
US: Guam becomes first US territory to recognize gay marriage after judge strikes down ban
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Frances M. Tydingco-Gatewood issued the decision and gay couples can begin applying for marriage licenses, the Pacific Daily News reported. Attorneys representing the government of Guam said in a May 18 court document that "should a court strike current Guam law, they would respect and follow such a decision."
Loretta M. Pangelinan and Kathleen M. Aguero filed the lawsuit in April after the 28-year-old women were denied a marriage license. They based their lawsuit on a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision last year in favor of same-sex marriage.
Attorneys for the Guam plaintiffs had argued the territory must fall in line with the 9th Circuit decision and accept marriage license applications unless the U.S. Supreme Court rules otherwise. Currently, gay couples can marry in 36 states, the District of Columbia and now, Guam. Read More
Greenland: Parliament unanimously passes same-sex marriage laws
The autonomous Arctic country of Greenland followed the lead of its former colonial master Denmark by legalizing same-sex marriage in a parliamentary vote that follows the Irish referendum on the same subject.
Greenland, which is three-quarters covered by sub-Arctic ice sheet and is the worlds most sparsely populated country, had gay marriage legalised by a 27-0 legislative vote yesterday.
Greenland’s proposal to allow same-sex marriage was first brought up in 2010 but because the issue was seen as something to be decided by the Kingdom of Denmark, the plans were put on the back burner until Denmark passed its same-sex marriage legislation in June 2012. Read More
Greece to grant gay couples right to civil union
Greece's radical-left government on Wednesday proposed a bill to grant same-sex couples the right to a civil union, two years after the European Court of Human Rights condemned the country's existing legislation as discriminatory. Read More
Italy: Gay civil unions measures passed
Italy's Lower House on Wednesday approved a motion on same-sex civil unions promoted by the Democratic Party. The motion commits the government "to promote the adoption of a law on civil unions, particularly with regard to the condition of the people of same sex". It also commits the government "to ensure equal treatment throughout the nation" of civil unions. Read More