Bishop Wester's statement on the same-sex marriage ruling

The decision of U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Shelby to strike down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage marks yet another stage in the ongoing debate regarding the definition of marriage in our society. Some have heralded this decision as a joyful moment in this debate while others see it as an affront to an institution that is at once sacred and natural. As Catholics, we seek to defend the traditional, well-established and divinely revealed reality of the marriage covenant between one man and one woman, a permanent and exclusive bond meant to provide a nurturing environment for children and the fundamental building block to a just society. By defining marriage otherwise, we believe that this fundamental institution will gradually lose its meaning and cease to serve as the ideal relationship between a man and a woman. In our view, this would hurt both our Church and our society.

At the same time, we respect the dignity of all persons, not wishing to undermine their pursuit of happiness but only to preserve and defend the gift of marriage as divinely revealed in scripture and in natural law. Although we respectfully disagree with those who would define marriage otherwise, we firmly hold that all persons are loved by our compassionate God and deserve the respect and dignity that is inherently theirs as human beings.

We seek to work with all our fellow citizens in Utah to deepen the bonds that unite us even as we strive to preserve our most sacred religious traditions, remaining faithful to the revelation handed down to us over the ages. We acknowledge the right of the state to provide for a well-ordered society by establishing laws that protect the common good and safeguard the civil and contractual rights and privileges of its citizens. At the same time, we urge our lawmakers and judges to respect those institutions that are beyond the state’s jurisdiction, institutions such as marriage that transcend civil law and whose origins precede the existence of the state and go beyond its competence.