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President Obama stated his support for same-sex marriage in a reversal of his stance last week. Obama said, “At a certain point, I’ve just concluded, that for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”
Following the president’s comments, presidential hopeful, Republican Mitt Romney seemed hesitant to take on what he called a “tender” subject, though he did reiterate his view that marriage should be between a man and a woman.
Rick Santorum, a possible running mate for Romney, is urging the Republican candidate to “step up” and “weaponize” the issue of same-sex marriage. “This is a very potent weapon, if you will, for Governor Romney if he’s willing to step up and take advantage of a president who is very much out of touch with the values of America,” Santorum said.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan said he found President Obama’s announcement “deeply saddening.” Dolan went on to say that “We cannot be silent in the face of words or actions that would undermine the institution of marriage, the very cornerstone of our society.”
But three theologians who teach at Jesuit institutions–Paul Lakeland of Fairfield University, Daniel Maguire of Marquette University, and Frank Parella of Santa Clara University–blasted the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for its opposition to same-sex marriage.
Parella said he sees “nothing in the Gospels” that should lead the Church to oppose same-sex marriage, while Lakeland said that the US bishops’ opposition to same-sex marriage is “not really an argument that has a theological justification.” Lakeland said of the church’s opposition to same-sex civil marriages, “It’s an argument that’s based more on fear or repugnance.”
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard will continue to oppose gay marriage in Australia despite US President Barack Obama’s postion. Ms Gillard said she stood by her beliefs and would not vote for a private member’s bill set to be introduced in Federal Parliament later this year to allow same-sex couples to marry.
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News category: World.
