Iowa Bishops On Supreme Court Ruling: Too Little Too Late

While I applaud this statement by the Iowa Bishops, the reason I say too little to late is that, except for Bishop Nickless, they have been fairly quite on this issue & other pro-life issues. & the statements they officially issued under the Iowa Catholic Conference aegis have not been promoted as the should, at least here in the Archdiocese of DBQ. & from what I can see, again with the exception some statements from Nickless, the same silence has come out of the Des Moines & Davenport chanceries.

We have a pro-abortion governor who claims to be Catholic. The Iowa Speaker of the House, Pat Murphy, has supported cloning & embryonic stem cell research. He is a member of my parish. Niether has been called on the carpet for their stands against the teachings of the Church. & if they have, it has been so secret that the Bishops give the impression that they approve of Culver & Murphy's actions. We won't even go into US Senator Tom Harkin at this point.

So while I approve of this statement I have to ask the Iowa Bishops "Do you think that this 1 statement will absolve you of all the guilt because of your ongoing silence that allowed us to reach this point?"

Iowa bishops' statement on marriage decision

We, the Roman Catholic Bishops of Iowa, strongly disagree with the decision of the Iowa Supreme Court which strikes down Iowa's law defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman. This decision rejects the wisdom of thousands of years of human history. It implements a novel understanding of marriage, which will grievously harm families and children.

This unwarranted social engineering attacks the good that marriage offers to society, especially the good of children, and weakens the critical relationship between marriage and parenting. We will resolutely continue to protect and promote marriage as a union between a man and a woman because of its unique and historical contribution to the common good.

We uphold the right of all people to be treated with respect and live in peace. This right, like the right to enter into a permanent, monogamous marriage of one man and one woman, derives directly from the intrinsic dignity of the human person. These are rights which the state has the duty to recognize and protect. They are not something that the state creates or may redefine. The citizens of every state who have been given the opportunity have voted to preserve civil marriage as it has been recognized and defined since the beginning of recorded history.

Therefore, we exhort Catholics and other citizens of Iowa to recognize the clear need for a constitutional amendment on marriage. We affirm that supporting the ideal of marriage as the stable union of one man and one woman is necessary to defend marriage, families, children, and the common good.

Most Rev. Jerome Hanus, OSB, Archbishop of Dubuque

Most Rev. R. Walker Nickless, Bishop of Sioux City

Most Rev. Martin Amos, Bishop of Davenport

Most Rev. Richard Pates, Bishop of Des Moines