MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. (AP) — At the behest of the state’s seven Roman Catholic bishops, the Prayer of the Faithful in parishes across the state Sunday was to focus on the importance of marriage.
The prayer says, in part, "God our almighty Father has given married love, its faithfulness and its fruitfulness, a special significance in the history of salvation."
The timing of the prayer, about a week after New Jersey became the third state in the nation to offer civil unions to same-sex couples, is deliberate.
While not specifically addressing the issue, the prayer is intended to remind Catholics that the church opposes gay ''marriage,'' according to Patrick R. Brannigan, executive director of the New Jersey Catholic Conference.
Gay-rights advocates see the new law allowing civil unions as a step toward gay marriage. Massachusetts is the only state that allows gay couples to ''marry;'' New Jersey joined Vermont and Connecticut in allowing gay couples to join in civil unions.
"We would be foolish to sit silently knowing that people are very effectively articulating a position that is in opposition to our church teaching," Brannigan said.
Brannigan said the state’s roughly 4 million Catholics are likely to be a powerful voice as New Jersey becomes embroiled in further debate about gay marriage.
Still, priests say Sunday’s prayer is not intended only to motivate parishioners to get involved in politics.
"More than anything, we see this as an opportunity to present what we believe in," said Ian Trammell, the parochial vicar at St. Joan of Arc Church, Marlton. "It’s our duty to preach the truth."
One question surrounding gay marriage, in New Jersey and elsewhere, is whether it’s an issue that should be decided by judges or lawmakers.
Gay rights advocates say it’s a civil rights issue and that gays, a minority in the population, need the court’s protection from discrimination. Conservatives contend that traditional marriage, between a man and a woman, is social policy designed to protect children.
In October, the state Supreme Court ruled that New Jersey must extend all the rights of marriage to gay couples, but left it to lawmakers to decide whether to provide those rights in the form of marriages, civil unions or something else. Lawmakers opted for "civil unions," in part because of opposition from legislators who objected on religious grounds to calling it "marriage."
Now, civil rights groups are considering filing lawsuits asking judges to find that civil unions, too, are discriminatory.
At the same time, gay rights activists are also trying to sway legislators to let gay couples marry.
Last week, dozens of people showed up at an Asbury Park tavern to see two couples from the gay-friendly seaside city be among the first in the state to exchange vows and officially enter civil unions.
Before either couple was joined by the Asbury Park mayor, they were asked by a minister, in their vows, to press for the right to marry.
Steven Goldstein, the chairman of Garden State Equality, a gay political group that sponsored the event, gave a campaign-style speech.
"Domestic partnerships are not enough, civil unions are not enough," he shouted to cheers. "In the next two years, we’ll be husband and husband, wife and wife!"
Goldstein said his group will focus on electing gay-friendly lawmakers in November.
Opponents of gay marriage are making countermoves.
The Catholic Conference is part of a coalition of social conservatives that has launched a petition drive asking lawmakers to amend the state constitution to define marriage as being only between a man and a woman. Such a change, even if endorsed by lawmakers, would have to be approved by voters.
While 26 states have such amendments, conservatives face a big challenge in New Jersey’s Democratic-controlled Legislature in even getting one on the ballot. For several years, proposals have languished without receiving a hearing from a legislative committee. And some key Democratic lawmakers say they don’t intend entertain the idea of an amendment.
Len Deo, president of the New Jersey Family Policy Council, which is spearheading the petition drive, said a public outcry might change some legislators’ minds.
He would like the constitutional amendment on the ballot this year, but thinks that’s a long shot.
"Eventually, the Legislature will respond. It is a government of the people, by the people, for the people," he said. "Some elected officials fail to remember that."
Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
RSS
