Catholic Church: Children will be damaged by gay couples marrying in Britain
A letter to be read to worshipers in Roman Catholic Churches across Birmingham will say that the Government has not considered the damage to be done to children by allowing gay couples to marry in England and Wales as well as Scotland.
The letter focuses on the consequences of two fathers bringing up a child.
The letter to be read in church tomorrow to mark the Feast of the Holy Family has been written by the Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Reverend Bernard Longley will say: “Government policy cannot foresee the full consequences, for the children involved or for wider society, of being brought up by two mothers without a father’s influence or by two fathers without a mother’s influence.
“We first learn about diversity and acquire a respect for difference through the complementarity of our parents.”
The letter continues: “The complementary love of father and mother is a precious gift that we should wish for every child.
“We know that many single parents courageously and generously look after their children and often struggle to give them a fine upbringing.
“If it had not been for the understanding of St Joseph, our Lady herself might have had to face the difficulties of being a single parent.
“Even so, the experience of growing up with our father and mother to teach and guide, to console and love us unconditionally is an invaluable blessing in life.”
Over recent weeks, thousands of people have utlised a Dutch service to leave the Roman Catholic Church as a result of the Pope’s diatribes against homosexuality.
In his ‘World Day of Peace’ remarks last week, the Pope said: “There is also a need to acknowledge and promote the natural structure of marriage as the union of a man and a woman in the face of attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different types of union.
“Such attempts actually harm and help to destabilise marriage, obscuring its specific nature and its indispensable role in society”, the Pope told worshipers.