An 18-page booklet entitled ‘Don’t Mess With Marriage’ is being distributed to Catholic schools around Australia, which outlines reasons for those of Catholic faith to retain the exclusivity of marriage between a woman and a man.
According to the Bishop of Education in the Archdiocese, Monsignor John Woods, the booklet was commissioned for distribution by Christopher Prowse – the Catholic Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn.
In a letter to Catholic principals, Monsignor Woods explains;
“While we understand that the same-sex marriage debate is an emotionally charged topic with an array of complexities surrounding it, our intention is for our students and their families and communities to be informed as much as possible”.
The official statement from the Catholic Bishops of Australia asserts their position on marriage and how exclusion for same-sex couples is non-discriminatory;
“If the union of a man and a woman is different – not the same – as other unions, then justice demands that we treat that union accordingly. If marriage is an institution designed to support people of the opposite sex to be faithful to each other and to the children of their union it is not discrimination to reserve it to them”.
“Don’t Mess With Marriage” is available for online viewing and download here.
Leigh Hill
