BISHOPS OK PLAN TO BOLSTER MARRIAGE: From the San Francisco Chronicle

The nation's Catholic bishops, promising to "stop the erosion of marriage in our society," voted on Wednesday to start a campaign against divorce, gay marriage, birth control, premarital sex and unmarried cohabitation by heterosexual Catholic couples.

The bishops approved a National Pastoral Initiative on Marriage just two weeks after 11 states passed initiatives outlawing same-sex unions and after a large number of U.S. voters cited "moral values" as their most pressing concern. ...

Bishop Kevin Boland, chairman of the conference Committee on Marriage and Family Life, said the church needs to do much more than "counter certain threats" such as gay marriage and divorce on demand.

"A pastoral letter at this time could deliver a positive, pro-marriage statement," Boland said.

Civil unions for gay couples, Boland said, "is not our main cause or focus."

"In the United States, the marriage rate has declined by more than 40 percent in last 30 years," he said. "Among Catholics, it has declined at a similar rate."

The new four-year initiative will start with research, consultation and the drafting of a major pastoral letter on marriage.

That will be followed by a revision of guidelines to prepare people for marriage, new parish programs designed for different ethnic groups and a radio and television campaign to try to change the hearts and minds of the nation's 65 million Roman Catholics -- and the broader American society.

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posted by Eve at 11:21 PM | link

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