Ironic

“Vatican Launches Campaign Against Gay Marriage
Posted: 7:37 a.m. EDT July 31, 2003
Updated: 10:19 a.m. EDT July 31, 2003


VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican is firmly repeating its opposition to gay marriages.

It's launching a global campaign, warning Catholic politicians that supporting same-sex unions is "gravely immoral." The Vatican is also urging non-Catholics to join in.

A Vatican panel is issuing a 12-page set of guidelines with the pope's approval. It's a bid to stem the increase in laws granting legal rights to homosexual unions in Europe and North America.

The document says "marriage is holy, while homosexual acts go against the natural moral law." It sets out a battle plan for politicians when they're confronted with laws or legislation aimed at giving homosexuals the same rights as married heterosexuals.

It also comes out strongly against allowing gay couples to adopt, saying children raised by same-sex parents face "obstacles."
Gay Rights Advocates Upset With Bush Stance

At a news conference Wednesday, President George W. Bush said lawyers are looking at ways to legally define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. He is coming under fire from gay rights advocates

The nation's largest gay and lesbian political group says Bush's call for a law against gay marriage is a "call to codify discrimination."

"I believe in the sanctity of marriage. I believe a marriage is between a man and a woman. I believe we ought to codify that one way or another and we have lawyers looking into that," he said.

"I am mindful that we're all sinners, and I caution those who may try to take the speck out of the neighbor's eye when they have a log in their own," Bush said.

"On the other hand, that does not mean that someone like me needs to compromise on an issue such as marriage. That's really where the issue is headed here in Washington," he said.

He said it's important for society to "respect each individual."

The Human Rights Campaign says the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act already does what Bush outlined.

Some religious leaders are applauding Bush's stand against gay marriage.

The head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association said without the president's leadership "we could lose marriage in this country the way we know it."

Gay-rights activists also took offense at Bush's comment that "we're all sinners," interpreting the remark as directed at them.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan says Bush was not singling out homosexuals as "sinners."”