‘Church opposed to same-sex marriage’

Kochi: Syro-Malabar Church issued a statement on Thursday that the Church has officially informed the President about its strong objection to same-sex marriage. The statement said the Church intimated its official position in the backdrop of the Supreme Court directing the Centre to submit its stand on the issue in a plea seeking legal recognition for same-sex marriage.The Church appreciated Centre’s counter submission that as per Indian culture marriage is a relationship between two persons of opposite genders and that a family includes a biological man and a biological woman and their children, the statement said.“The Church, which holds strongly on to the scriptures, its traditions, and teachings, maintains the same moral perspective and opposes the efforts to give legal sanction to same-sex marriage,” said the public affairs commission of Syro-Malabar Church.The statement said that same-sex marriages violate the right of children to be born and brought up in a matrimonial life; it is denial of the human nature which was formed as male and female. It would be an injustice towards the familial system and society, it said.The statement further added that legalization of same-sex marriage may lead to clamour for legalizing of ‘attraction’ towards relatives, children, and animals. Hence, it cannot be allowed, the Church said.“However, the Church sees those with differences in the case of sexuality (mentally and physically) with mercy and opposes all discriminations against them. At the same time, the Church declares its stand that marriage is between a man and woman,” it said.The statement was issued by commission secretary Fr Abraham Kavilpurayidathil and Assistant secretary Fr James Kokkavayalil. In 2020, Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) had issued a statement saying that the teachings of the Church on family life and homosexuality have not undergone any change. The statement was then made in the backdrop of Pope Francis’ reported support of ‘same-sex civil unions’ revealed through his remarks in a documentary film. “Reports that the Pope endorsed the validity of same-sex marriages in a documentary film Francesco, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky are confusing and false,” KCBC had then said.According to a report in the New York Times in October 2020, reiterating his view that gay people are children of God, Pope Francis said in the documentary: “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.”
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