Here is a quote from a recent issue of the Toronto Star: “Industry Minister Allan Rock says he will work within the government to push for the recognition of same-sex marriages. Rock, who will march in Vancouver’s Pride Parade today, told the Star in a telephone interview yesterday, “The time has come for Canada to recognize marriages between two men or two women. The option that I’ll be asking my colleagues to favour is recognition of same-sex marriage.”

There are many ways in which one could express opposition to such a statement, such as from a sheerly natural point of view. But, as I understand Mr. Rock claims to be a Catholic, I shall approach it from a Christian point of view.

I shall commence with some statements from the Old Testament, which gives God’s point of view. Here is a quotation from the book of Leviticus, Chapter 18, verse 22. God is speaking to the chosen people through Moses: “You must not lie with a man as with a woman. This is a hateful thing … Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these practices, for it was by such things that the nations that I have expelled to make way for you made themselves unclean. I am Yahweh your God.” In chapter 20 of the same book we read, “The man who lies with a man in the same way as with a woman, they have done a hateful thing together. They must die. Their blood shall be on their own heads.”

The following is a quotation from a Protestant edition of the New Testament published by the Canadian Bible Society Toronto. From the letter of St. Paul to the Romans, Chapter 1, regarding those who have turned their backs on God: “And so God has given those people over to do the filthy things their hearts desire and they do shameful things with each other – even the women pervert the natural use of their sex by unnatural acts. In the same way, the men give up natural sexual relations with women and burn with passion for each other. Men do shameful things with each other, and as a result they bring upon themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing.”

The following is a quotation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, No. 2357: “Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as grave depravity, tradition has always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered. They are contrary to natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life … Under no circumstances can they be approved.”

In view of the above declarations from Scripture and the official teaching of the Church, I “respectfully” suggest that Mr. Rock, and any other Catholics who have taken a similar political stand and – for the sake of votes – have rendered to Caesar what belongs to God, should publicly declare that they have ceased to be Catholics or even Christians. If, through weakness or any other specious reason, I were to vote for Mr. Rock or any other “Catholic” politician who had taken a similar stand, I would not offer Mass until I had repented and gone to Confession. Catholics will understand what I mean!