The Catholic Sun :: Phoenix Diocesan Newspaper

The Arizona bishops issued a joint statement Sept. 4 urging Catholics to support the ballot proposition on marriage in the upcoming November election.

Proposition 102, if passed by voters, will amend the Arizona Constitution by providing a legal definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, who is also the apostolic administrator for the Gallup Diocese, and Tucson Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas declared their support for the proposition and encouraged Catholics in their diocese to do the same.

The bishops said their backing of the referendum was “based upon our Church’s teachings on the sanctity of marriage as a faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of a man and a woman joined in an intimate community of life and love.”

Mike Phelan, director of the diocesan Office of Marriage and Respect Life Issues, said passage of the proposition is crucial.

“The future is at stake. The primary reason for marriage is the next generation — it’s the main reason why society issues marriage licenses,” Phelan said, warning that efforts to alter the traditional definition of marriage pose a threat to society.

“This tinkering with the legal meaning of marriage is a social experiment which will weaken marriage further and will contribute to its disappearance,” he said. “If it’s not about one man and one woman raising a family and having a stable relationship in which to raise a family, then ultimately, it is about what any adult pleases.”

Some Arizonans have questioned the necessity of a constitutional amendment to provide a legal definition of marriage, citing the fact that same-sex marriage is illegal in the state.

Ron Johnson, executive director of the Arizona Catholic Conference, the policy arm of the state’s three dioceses, begged to differ.

“By voting yes on Prop. 102, Arizona voters can make sure that a future court or Legislature does not redefine marriage on its own,” he said.

“We have only to look as far as California where their Supreme Court overturned a marriage statute in May despite the will of the people,” Johnson added.

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Pastoral Statement

Photo illustration by Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier/CNS

A pastoral statement from the bishops of the Arizona Catholic Conference in support of Proposition 102

Arizona voters will be voting on a number of important ballot initiatives this Nov. 4, among them Proposition 102, which would amend the Arizona Constitution by providing a legal definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman.

We support Proposition 102, and we encourage the support of Catholics in our dioceses.

Our support is based upon our Church’s teachings on the sanctity of marriage as a faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of a man and a woman joined in an intimate community of life and love.

The amendment to the Arizona Constitution that will result with voter approval of Proposition 102 simply states, “Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.”

We believe Proposition 102 is in alignment with our deeply held moral beliefs regarding marriage. We believe that without constitutional protection, Arizona’s present law on marriage could be changed — to the detriment of society — either by court action or by legislative action. In effect, without constitutional protection, the legal definition of marriage as we understand it today in Arizona is subject to redefinition.

We encourage Catholic voters in our dioceses and all voters in Arizona who wish to learn more about the Catholic meaning of marriage to revisit the pastoral letter that we issued in 2006 entitled “Why is Marriage Important to the Catholic Church?” This document may be found at www.azcatholicconference.org.

Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted
Bishop of Phoenix
Apostolic Administrator, Gallup

Most Rev. Gerald F. Kicanas
Bishop of Tucson

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