In his first public comments since marriage and gay rights re-emerged as a hot political topic in Colorado, Denver Roman Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput reiterated his support for traditional marriage Tuesday while expressing doubts about granting domestic partnership status to gays and lesbians.
Chaput dedicated his column in the Denver Catholic Register to marriage. Marriage is a lifelong relationship between one man and one woman, he wrote, and exists for the benefit of children and protection of women.
The archbishop did not take a position on two initiatives likely headed for the November ballot: a proposed state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman and an initiative from statehouse Democrats to grant domestic-partnership benefits to gays and lesbians.
Chaput did give an indication of his thinking.
The Christian case for marriage, he wrote, is not “against anyone” but for the “happiness of human society.”
Chaput emphasized that all people deserve legal protection and that protection of traditional marriage should never become an excuse for prejudice.
Extending legal and financial benefits to persons in non-marital relationships can make sense, depending on the circumstances, he wrote. But, he added, “it does little good to enshrine marriage in the Colorado state constitution, on the one hand, while we legally recognize other unions that compete with it for equality.”
Throughout his nine-year tenure in Denver, Chaput has urged Catholics to carry their convictions into the public square.
He gained national prominence in 2004 for declaring that Catholic politicians and voters are called to stand with church teachings against legal abortion.
A group of religious and conservative leaders, Coloradans for Marriage, plans to file ballot language for the constitutional amendment in the next two weeks. Those involved include Focus on the Family, the National Association of Evangelicals and the Colorado Catholic Conference.
Sean Duffy, a Republican political consultant for opponents of the gay-marriage amendment – a group that includes Christian clergy – said there was nothing new in Chaput’s column that merited a response.
