Sen. Tim Kaine’s Catholic bishop in Richmond, Va., has an answer for the Democratic vice presidential pick’s prediction that the Vatican will change its opposition to same sex marriage: Never.
In a statement provided to Secrets, Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo said, “Marriage is the only institution uniting one man and one woman with each other and with any child who comes from their union. Redefining marriage furthers no one’s rights.”
Speaking Saturday to the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s leading LGBT lobbying group, Kaine said he believes the church will change its position on gay marriage.
“I think it’s going to change because my church also teaches me about a creator who, in the first chapter of Genesis, surveyed the entire world, including mankind, and said, ‘It is very good’,” he said.
The Washington group called Kaine’s speech the top “must-see moment” on its blog:
DEMOCRATIC VEEP NOMINEE TIM KAINE RALLIES FOR LGBTQ EQUALITY, BLASTS TRUMP’S PANDERING: Addressing more than 3,800 LGBTQ advocates and allies at Saturday night’s HRC National Dinner, Vice Presidential nominee Senator Tim Kaine shared his devotion to LGBTQ equality and expressed optimism about future shifts from the Catholic Church. He also rebuked Donald Trump’s attempts to pander to the LGBTQ community and highlighted the stark contrasts between a Trump-Pence and Clinton-Kaine administration, pledging to prioritize the Equality Act, expand access to crucial HIV and AIDS medications, and protect LGBTQ children from bullying and stigma.
+Bp DiLorenzo: Despite Supreme Court ruling & statements from campaign trail, Church teaching on marriage resolute. https://t.co/kGHcw5Q9v9
— Diocese of Richmond (@RichmondDiocese) September 13, 2016
But despite his predictions, Bishop DiLorenzo, leader of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond said the church was unswayed.
“More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage, and despite recent statements from the campaign trail, the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year-old teaching to the truth about what constitutes marriage remains unchanged and resolute,” he said.
“As Catholics, we believe, all humans warrant dignity and deserve love and respect, and unjust discrimination is always wrong. Our understanding of marriage, however, is a matter or justice and fidelity to our Creator’s original design,” he added.
He concluded, “We call on Catholics and all those concerned for preserving this sacred union to unite in prayer, to live and speak out with compassion and charity about the true nature of marriage — the heart of family life.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
