More than 500,000 people have signed a petition asking Pope Francis to reinforce traditional Church teaching on marriage and the family.
The petition, launched by TFP Student Action, asks the Pope to take this action at the synod on the family in October.
Backed by 25 pro-family groups around the world, the petition is titled “Filial Appeal to His Holiness Pope Francis on the Future of the Family”.
It was first posted on the TFP Student Action website in late January.
It has since been signed by five cardinals, 117 bishops and hundreds of civil leaders, in addition to the thousands of university students it was aimed at.
The cardinals who signed are Cardinal Raymond Burke, Cardinal Jorge Medina of Chile, Cardinal Ricardo Vidal of the Philippines, Cardinal Alexandre José Maria dos Santos of Mozambique, and Cardinal Jānis Pujats of Latvia.
Other signatories include author Piers Paul Read, former US senator Rick Santorum and the Kigeli V, the exiled King of Rwanda.
John Ritchie, director of TFP Student Action, said: “This prayerful petition asks Pope Francis to clear up the moral confusion that’s been spreading against natural and divine law.”
Describing the Church as a “beacon of morality and stability in our godless culture”, Mr Ritchie said that some statements from clergy that appeared to accept same-sex unions had caused confusion.
Mr Ritchie also urged the Church not to “go along with the liberal pressures to soften Church moral discipline”.
If the Church stood by its view on traditional marriage and family, he said, “God’s plan for marriage will win out against all attacks”.
The goal is to hand deliver the petition to Pope Francis on September 29, the feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
By then, organisers hope to have 750,000 signatories for the petition.
Sources