BALTIMORE (AP) – U.S. Roman Catholic bishops, at their first assembly since gay marriage became legal nationwide, have vowed to uphold marriage as only the union of a man and a woman and to seek legal protections for those who share that view.
Some bishops said they were committed to reversing the U.S. Supreme Court same-sex marriage ruling last June. Archbishop Joseph Naumann (NOW’-muhn) of Kansas City, Kansas, said a concerted effort was needed to “build a consensus” to do so. Naumann said, “I don’t think because five Supreme Court justices changed the public policy on such a fundamental issue that we should just accept it.”
Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham, Alabama, said the bishops should join other religious groups in working to protect government workers who refuse to participate in same-sex weddings. The bishops have not said specifically what kind of conscience protections they support for civil authorities.
