Bishops to revisit concepts, presuppositions on gay marriage after US ruling

MANILA – Same sex marriage will likely be on the agenda of the Philippine bishops after the US Supreme Court’s affirmation of gay couples’ right to marry.The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said the court’s ruling will not go unheeded,” saying it will revisit the gay marriage debate but according to the Gospel teachings. We shall study it with assiduousness, and revisit our concepts and presuppositions, always with an eye to being faithful to the Gospel and to the mission of the Church,” said Archbishop Socrates Villegas, CBCP President.In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court in Washington yesterday ruled in favor of same sex marriage nationwide.The ruling triggered mixed reactions in the Philippines, with some in favor and some strongly against.An anti-discrimination bill” is currently pending in Congress but some expressed concerns that it could eventually lead to legalization of same sex unions.The bishops said they support the measure as long as it rejects second-class treatment for the gay community, but reaffirmed Church teaching against homosexual acts. The Church continues to maintain what it has always taught,” Villegas said, reiterating that marriage is a permanent union” of man and woman, in the complementarity of the sexes and the mutual fulfillment that the union of a man and a woman bring into the loftiness of the matrimonial bond.” If there is an undeniable difference between man and woman, there is also an undeniable difference between the permanent union of a man and a woman,” he said.However, in a conciliatory words on gays, Villegas reiterated that they should not be judged or marginalized. All will continue to find welcome in the Church, while, under the command from the Lord himself, will continue to teach what the Church has unceasingly taught,” he said. (CBCPNews)