Canadian religious leaders affirm marriage as a heterosexual union

Published: 2006-11-14

OTTAWA (CNS) -- More than 40 religious leaders, including the president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, have signed a declaration on marriage, affirming its role as a heterosexual social institution for the procreation and nurturing of children. In advance of a vote in Parliament later this year, the religious leaders urged politicians to reopen the debate on marriage in a way that treats all sides respectfully. The churches said in the declaration that they need "language to express their principles and beliefs along with freedom to promote and foster ways of living that have stood the test of time." They asked how they "can promote an institution when the identifying language has been stripped of its real meaning, has been legally redefined and means different things to different people." The marriage declaration was signed by Archbishop Andre Gaumond of Sherbrooke, Quebec, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, and representatives of Protestant, Evangelical, Muslim, Orthodox and Druze churches and alliances.

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