News reports confuse bishop's testimony against same-sex unions

Published: 2003-11-03

BOSTON (CNS) -- In recent testimony before a Massachusetts legislative committee, Bishop Daniel P. Reilly of Worcester urged the defeat of several bills that would redefine marriage to include same-sex couples or would give same-sex civil unions a status equivalent to marriage. He said the state's Catholic bishops are unalterably opposed to that, but "willing to join the discussion if the goal is to look at individual benefits and determine who should be eligible beyond spouses." Gay rights advocates and others took those words to signal a new openness on the bishops' part to discussing "domestic partner benefits" for gay and lesbian couples. Media reports across the state reflected that interpretation. "Don't believe the headlines. ... That interpretation is wrong," said an e-mail memo sent out Oct. 28 by the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, the public policy agency of the state's bishops. "Bishop Reilly told the committee that the church objects to any bills that equate unmarried relationships to married spouses," it said. "The civil union bills would give same-sex couples all the rights and benefits of spouses. Domestic partnership bills are more limited in that they apply only to public employee benefits. But they too equate same-sex couples to spouses for eligibility purposes."

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