Bishop Richard Malone has issued a letter opposing gay marriage that is being read to Catholics at Masses across the state today.
The head of the state's Roman Catholic diocese called on members of the church to work to preserve the traditional sacrament of marriage by opposing efforts to legalize same-sex marriage.
"To redefine marriage to include same-sex couples is to strip marriage of an essential component, namely the ability and obligation to procreate," the bishop said in the letter. "To strip marriage of this essential component is to render marriage meaningless and open it up to endless revision and redefinition."
Copies of the letter were distributed to media organizations Saturday afternoon, two days after a group of Maine ministers from different faiths announced their support for gay marriage.
Members of the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry in Maine held news conferences Thursday to urge support for same-sex marriages and to call for their legalization.
"I do believe each denomination is entitled to a position," said a coalition founder, the Rev. Mark Doty, pastor at Hammond Street Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Bangor, in response to Malone's letter. "We are certainly of the opinion people should be able to do what they feel called to do and for so many, there is a desire among gay and lesbian people to become married."
Maine law defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman. The state's constitution does not have a provision that defines marriage.
The coalition's press conference and Malone's letter may well be the opening salvos in an upcoming political battle over same-sex marriage in Maine.
Demonstrators gathered Saturday in Portland's Monument Square to protest California voters' rejection of same-sex marriage in that state earlier this month.
EqualityMaine, a group that advocates on behalf of gay and lesbian Mainers, said it gathered more than 33,000 names and addresses on Election Day in support of marriage for same-sex couples.
The coalition's signatories, 120 religious leaders of 14 faiths, will be listed on postcards sent to legislators, according to EqualityMaine.
"We have started the conversation with voters because what we know is we have to change the hearts and minds of voters and that takes some significant amount of time," said Betsy Smith, executive director of EqualityMaine.
Smith said people need to distinguish between civil marriage, a contract between the state and a couple, and religious marriage, which is solemnized by a religious institution. She also disputes that marriage is solely about procreating. Otherwise, people who cannot or choose not to have children because of age or some other reason would also be barred from getting married, she said.
The bishop's letter, which was also to be read at Masses Saturday night, said the church will be launching initiatives in the weeks and months ahead to preserve and support marriage as it is currently defined.
Malone said objections to same-sex marriage are not based strictly on religious principles but on what is good for society because, he said, traditional marriage represents the best way to raise children.
Malone said the church has supported extending rights previously reserved for married couples to other types of relationships, including the ability to visit a loved one in the hospital and sharing health benefits within a household.
Those changes were supported in the interest of preserving basic human rights for everyone, he said, and the church will continue to speak out against threats to people's basic dignity and human rights regardless of sexual orientation or other attributes.
Staff Writer David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:
dhench@pressherald.com
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