Churches urged to apply for funding available for marriage programs

Published: 2006-06-02

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic and Protestant leaders praised the Bush administration for making $100 million in new funds available to programs that strengthen marriage in America. After four years of rejecting President George W. Bush's Healthy Marriage Initiative, Congress passed the proposal May 16. Five religious leaders and marriage advocates spoke about the initiative at a May 25 press conference in Washington hosted by Marriage Savers, a nonprofit organization that aims to reduce the nation's growing divorce rate. "Marriage is the community's responsibility," said Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Knoxville, Tenn., chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Marriage and Family Life. "Good marriages cannot exist in a vacuum. We need to ... take action." Mike McManus, founder and co-chair of Marriage Savers, said the purpose of the press event was to encourage Protestant and Catholic leaders to apply for federal aid to fund marriage programs and to urge their colleagues to consider doing the same.

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