Scottish bishops denounce Scotland's 'moral decline'

Published: 2006-01-26

LONDON (CNS) -- Scottish society is in a moral decline because of politicians' failure to recognize and support the role of the family, said the bishops of Scotland. The Bishops' Conference of Scotland denounced the legal recognition of same-sex unions and urged all Catholics to be at the "forefront of promoting family life" in a letter sent to all parishes for distribution Jan. 28-29. "We see a society in moral decline, a civilization in cultural decay, as our temporal leaders fail to take a global view of society," said the bishops in the letter signed by Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow, Scotland, president of the bishops' commission for Christian doctrine and unity. The letter is largely a response to the Civil Partnerships Act, which gave Scottish homosexual couples the same benefits as married heterosexuals Dec. 20. The bishops also have expressed disappointment at Scottish lawmakers' plan to speed up divorce procedures.

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