Feast of the Holy Family

Today is the Feast of the Holy  Family and in the light of the challenges that the family face in today's society there is also the legal challenge that lies ahead in a proposed referendum that would redefine the place of traditional marriage and the role of the family  in our society. For that reason we the clergy of Cobh have decided to read short extracts today from the Irish Bishops Conference that remind us all of the dignity and Sacredness of the family and marriage.

The Meaning of Marriage was published as a pastoral statement by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference on 3 December

The bishops state : 

 Marriage is a unique relationship different from all others

Married love is a unique form of love between a woman and a man which has a special benefit for the good of society.

 Marriage is a total communion of life and of love with God of the married couple in their family life.  Women and men find companionship in that relationship, where they complement each other, not because they are the same, but because they are different.  Their marriage is not just for themselves or for the children they may have.  The family is the church in the home.

Any proposal which seeks to redefine the meaning and purpose of marriage is based on the assumption that the institution of marriage on which the family is founded, which has always been recognised as the natural, primary and fundamental unit group of Society, has nothing unique about it and on the assumption that marriage can be stripped of that social standing without obscuring its irreplaceable social role.

Often those who call for legal recognition of “same-sex marriage” see it as a matter of fairness, equality and civil rights.

 The Church holds that basic human rights must be afforded to all people.  This can and should be done without sacrificing the institution of marriage and family and the fundamental role that they play in society.

An essential characteristic of marriage is the biological fact that a woman and a man can join together in a union that is orientated to the generation of new life.

 Children have a natural right to a mother and a father, and this is the best environment for them where possible.

It is therefore deserving of special recognition and promotion by the State.  Children, as they grow and mature, deserve from society a clear understanding of the importance of marriage.

Without protection and support for the unique place of marriage in society, the State could, in effect, deprive children of the right to a mother and father.

 In seeking to reaffirm the unique value to children and society of the mutual and complementary roles of a mother and father, we ask that the principle of equality not be undermined by applying it inappropriately to two fundamentally different types of relationship.

  Marriage is a unique relationship different from all others.

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I encourage you to read the full text of the pastoral  which is available online  at www.catholicbishops.ie