Chicago Cardinal says, “There will be consequences for the Church and society that will become clearer as the law is used to sue for discrimination.” Mary Ann Ahern reports.
Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George has one more thing to say about the same-sex marriage bill being passed in Illinois.
"There will be consequences for the Church and society that will become clearer as the law is used to sue for discrimination," Cardinal George writes in a letter he asked to be placed in all church bulletins throughout the Chicago Archdiocese.
"The law has made some gays and lesbians happy, and that is not a bad thing in itself," George adds. "The law, however, is bad law because it will contribute over the long run to the further dissolution of marriage and family life, which are the bedrock of any society.”
The letters, seen printed in an early copy of Sunday's bulletins, are due to be distributed days before Gov. Pat Quinn will sign legislation to allow same-sex couples to marry in Illinois.
George writes that he believes Pope Francis’ words about same-sex marriage have been misused, and while he does not mention House Speaker Mike Madigan by name, the Cardinal notes Madigan's use of the pope's "who am I to judge?" comment during lawmakers' debate about the bill.
“The Pope was not speaking about approving gay marriage. To use his words against his teaching, as they were used on the floor of the State House of Representatives on November 5, is less than intellectually honest.”
Madigan’s spokesman Steve Brown says the General Assembly altered state law, “not the Bible or the Sunday missal.” Brown spoke in favor of the separation of church and state.
