Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl Says Church Stands
by Traditional Marriage, but Will Respect Gay Marriage Ruling
By Leonardo Blair
July 7, 2015 | 2:54 pm
(PHOTO: REUTERS/ALESSANDRO BIANCHI)
Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl.
Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl says that despite
the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage, it cannot
change the traditional understanding of marriage as defined by
Scripture.
"The law of the land is the law of the land," said Wuerl in a WTOP
report . "We certainly follow what the law says. That doesn't mean we
change the Word of God. That doesn't mean we change the Scriptures,
or the church's millennia-long tradition of what marriage is."
Wuerl's comments comes after a June 26 statement released by the
Archdiocese of Washington which said that in light of the Supreme
Court ruling, local churches in the diocese will have to make "moral
evaluations" on how they will respond when there is a conflict
between religious tradition and civil law.
"Marriage as the union of one man and one woman is a truth that
predates courts and constitutions. ... Today's decision by the U.S.
Supreme Court changes none of this. The Court deals with civil law
not revealed truth or religious faith," said the statement.
"The Court's opinion rightly affirms the freedom of religious
organizations to continue to express and teach the truth of marriage.
Nonetheless, the Court's ruling has the potential to create
circumstances in which the Church's teaching and practices may be
perceived to conflict with civil law. As such situations arise, the local
Church will have to undertake a moral evaluation to determine, on a
case-by-case basis, the manner in which it will respond to this
conflict," the statement ended.
In a telephone interview Tuesday seeking to clarify Wuerl's comments,
however, Archdiocese of Washington spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi,
bluntly declared that the church will not perform same-sex marriages.
"The law of the land might now affirm that marriage in civil law may
include two persons of the same sex but that's not the church's
understanding," said Noguchi.
When asked to explain the Archdiocese's statement that local
churches will be allowed to choose how they will respond if same-
sex couples make requests of the church to get married, Noguchi said
she could not speculate on that question.
In a July 4 post on his blog, Seek First The Kingdom , Weurl noted that
"The Church does not require others to believe or live by her
teaching. But we do ask for and insist on the freedom to present and
publically demonstrate our faith in our personal lives and in our
Catholic schools and other faith-based institutions."
As a consequence, he explained, the church should not be required to
support behavior that goes against its identity.
"In our pluralistic society, we must be free to protect our Catholic
mission and identity. In accordance with religious liberty guaranteed
by the First Amendment, Catholic organizations should be free to
operate by the tenets of the Catholic faith, should not be forced to
accept the government's moral views, and should not be required to
provide a platform for persons who oppose in both word and action
the mission of the Church," he added.