Catholic Church ‘alarmism’ rejected
A new push by the Catholic Church in Victoria to urge parishioners to take a stand against marriage equality has been labelled ‘heartless’ by same-sex marriage advocates.
Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart and five other bishops will send out 80,000 letters this weekend asking parishioners to oppose marriage equality, the reports.
The Senate inquiry into the issue will close for public submissions on Monday, April 2.
Australian Marriage Equality national convenor Alex Greenwich聽rejected claims by the bishops in the letter that marriage equality will undermine family life and damage society, and has urged all marriage equality supporters to write to the current Senate inquiry.
“Families and societies are only strengthened when couples are allowed to commit to each other through marriage, so to hear Archbishop Hart discouraging any recognition of this commitment is extraordinary and heartless,” Greenwich said.
“Research of the impact of marriage equality overseas has shown that couples feel more committed and families more secure when given the option to marry.”
Greenwich said churches have nothing to fear from marriage equality because religious freedom will be maintained, and he rejected a claim by Sale Bishop Christopher Prowse that same-sex marriage would lead to polygamy.
“Religious ministers will maintain the right to refuse to marry same-sex couples when marriage equality becomes law, so churches have nothing to fear from this reform,” he said.
“The claim that this reform will lead to polygamy is a red herring and without foundation in reality. None of the countries that allow marriage equality have subsequently legalised polygamy.”
Further information on lodging a submission to the Senate inquiry can be found .
The Catholic Church, has NOT been a messenger of God for a very long time, if ever. It has long been a messenger of intolerance and bigotry, totally opposite to the message of God and Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church has become irrelevant in many many ways, even though at a local level it does many good things, at a national and global level it is not only irrelevant but downright dangerous as it legitimises discrimination.
Any society says that I cannot marry a certain person that society has cut off a segment of my freedom … Dr Martin Luther King… There is only one happiness in life鈥攖o love and be loved so who is the Catholic church to dictate who can anyone can love? Shame on your bigoted narrow mindness ,I am a Catholic how dare you speak on my behalf , you are a messenger of God, you are not my messenger.
A better title for this might be “Hart, Heartless”
Catholic Church speaks out only to defend itself when it is attacked. It did it with communism and now with Muslams.
There is not sympathy with the people of God anymore. Catholic Church authorities have abandoned us and it prefers to look after its conservative and financier groups.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, there are some religions and catholic disidents supporting the community still, you just need to find them out.
@Mauricio_L_Vera
URGENT : Submission to the Inquiry on the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2010
Dear Committee Secretary,
As an Australian who believes same-sex couples should be able to marry, I strongly support the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2010 because Australia鈥檚 current Marriage Act is toxic and it sickens me. It has contributed to the death of those I love, and it has held me separate from the one I love for many many years. Trapped in love and apart for endless years when all I want to do is go down on bended knee as say to him first not to any lord, that I do take you for ever and ever and to the exclusion of all others. Will you be mine as I will be yours? Because I do. I already do. It is a fact already, not a prayer to the lord or a promise to the state. But no, I am an unnatural person so we are trapped apart by insensitive, in fact vicious disregard for both our lives. This is typical of Australia these days. Callas disregard for life.
At all costs and in any event I call upon all Inquire members to seek out and solve the many areas of vicious discrimination in Australian law and regulations. Do not fool yourselves that these serious issues have already been solved. They certainly have not been. Further, political dealings with my most sensitive, intimate and passionate emotions, are callas and not what Australian expect from Government or society. Why should I be forced to lay bare private details before my Government when it is societies duty to understand itself first. This politicisation of my sex life has become totally toxic.
1. THE AUSTRALIAN CONSTITUTION GAUREENTEES US SECULAR LAW.
2. THE MARRAGE ACT IS A SECULAR RIGHT.
3. MY RIGHTS UNDER THE CONSTITUION ARE BEING DESTROYED BY THE CHURCH.
4. THAT IS ILLEGAL.
5. EVEN AN POVERTY STRICKEN ANCIENT HINDU KINGDOM IS LIGHT YEARS AHEAD OF OUR CORRUPT AND FIXATED SOCIETY.
We gay people have cared for this society and we dont desirve this. It is criminal.
Date of Submission: 30 March, 2012
Attention:
Ms Julie Dennett
Committee Secretary, Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee
PO Box 6100, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
Please accept my submission to the Inquiry into the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2010.
The Catholic church truly is an evil organisation, isn’t it!?
Basically a protection racket that preys on the gullible using supernatural threats and impressively tall hats, and whose legions of robed clowns only ever seem to take a break from the business of hushing-up the endemic child-rape within their own ranks to spread misery and hate amongst those who aren’t interested in the least in their nonsensical medieval claptrap.
You couldn’t invent a more sinister mob if you tried!
So go fuck yourself, Archbishop Hartless.
GetUp is providing the chance to make a submission to the parliamentary committee. It takes half a minute to express your view. Go to their website.
Denise & her cohorts shud stay with her drag shows each week,,& stay out of the gay communities business,, Do as I do,,not as I say,,???
Three cheers for Kristina Keneally who responded:
鈥淚’ve come to a position, with a fully-formed conscience, that I support gay marriage…I would encourage all Catholics to apply critical thinking to this issue.鈥�
Denice & cohorts shud look after her own dsarg sahow & let the gay community run their own show,,
About what you would expect from the Roman church: everybody must do as they say, and the law must enforce their beliefs–however malicious, ignorant and ridiculous–on everyone. Still, better than the old days; modern secular governments do not permit their traditional responses to difference: torture and mass murder.
families are strengthened through marriage says the Bishop, but he ignores how many end in divorce??? I think these frock wearing men are scared gays will show how marriage should work. Their other problem is the fact that church marriages are there to tie leashes on their flocks and if marriage outside the breeding flock is allowed then how can they control people and increase their billion dollar portfolios.
the catholic church peraches love so why cant same sex couples show this love towards this fact and be legal
think of the good it could do for families if one can tell parents abouit your sexual feelings and could bring families much closer particularily if you are married yourself same sex guys have the same feelings for love and should be able to legally show this in marriage
How unusual, a church preaching hate and intolerance