The lower house of Spain's parliament recently approved a law allowing gay marriage. It still has to receive approval from the Spanish Senate, which is expected.
Now one of Pope Ratzinger I's enforcers, the president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Alfonso López Trujillo, is calling on municipal employees - presumably not just in Spain - to refuse to perform gay marriages. They should refuse even if it means losing their jobs, he said.
And Ratzinger has been Pope less than a week.
I suppose I should say what's obvious to most people, that this is a completely inappropriate attempt by the Church to meddle in politics. This not about direction on personal moral standards or conduct for Catholics, which is a different issue. This is a blatant attempt by an unelected church hierarchy to interfere in a democratic decision by the elected Spanish parliament.
See: El Vaticano llama a los empleados municipales a negarse a celebrar matrimonios entre homosexuales El Mundo (Spain) 22.04.05
Vatican challenges Spain over gay marriages vote AFP 04/22/05
Trujillo said that municipal officials asked to perform homosexual marriage ceremonies should object on grounds of conscience, even it if meant they might lose their job.
"I am talking of every profession linked to implementation" of the law, he told Corriere della Sera.
"They should exercise the same conscientious objection asked of doctors and nurses against a crime such as abortion.
"This is not a matter of choice: all Christians... must be prepared to pay the highest price, including the loss of a job."
2 comments:
The Pope would like to be able to nullify the legislative acts of sovereign nations, presumably including the USA. How far we have fallen from the time when John F Kennedy was able to assert that being Catholic did not present a conflict of interest for a man who was pledged to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. Ratslinger will drive the Church right into the dustbin of history in Europe, as I am quite sure that Europeans will object strenuously to this clerical meddling. I wish I could say the same for the USA, but I fear we are about to see the flexing of some right wing roman collars in the days ahead.
Neil
While I'm against homosexual marriage I do have to say, I think that Ratzinger should have come down this sternly on the Pedophiles he never did anything about in his own church. Actually, I think that poor little exploited children were swept under the rug, while he makes this consentual adult thing center stage for finger pointing. It appears he is removing the speck of dust out of his brother's eye without first removing his log.
Matthew 7:5
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
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