Religion Pope Endorses Gay Marriage
posted by September 13 at 9:17 AM
onGood news, homos! In France yesterday Pope Benedict XVI endorsed civil marriage rights for same-sex couples. I mean, that's implicit in statements the Pope made about the secular and religious realms, right?
“At this moment in history, when cultures continue to cross paths more frequently, I am firmly convinced that a new reflection on the true meaning and importance of secularism is now necessary,” the pope said at a ceremony earlier Friday with President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Élysée Palace. He used the word “laïcité,” which denotes the separation of church and state.But the pope proposed a “distinction between the political realm and that of religion in order to preserve both the religious freedom of citizens and the responsibility of the state toward them.” He distinguished the state’s legislative and social duties from religion’s role “for the formation of conscience” and the “creation of a basic ethical consensus in society.”
Wow—thanks for that ringing endorsement of the separation of church and state, Mr. Pope! This means, of course, that we won't be seeing any more money from Catholic Church pouring into anti-gay marriage campaigns (or anti-right-to-die campaigns, for that matter), right?
Because if there's a secular realm, like Mr. Pope said, and a religious realm, and the church has to let the state take care of the state's business and the state has to let the church take care of its own business, and seeing as marriage is a civil institution as well as a religious institution, well gosh, it naturally follows that states—and citizens—can elect to open the civil institution of marriage to same-sex couples while the church, free to act on its beliefs, can continue to deny the religious sacrament of marriage to same-sex couples.
Great! It's a deal! Thanks, Mr. Pope!