Catholic bishops urge voters to ban gay marriage

Arizona's two Catholic bishops are urging the faithful to vote to constitutionally ban gays from marrying in the state.

In a pastoral letter, Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix and Gerald Kincanas of Tucson said Proposition 102 "is in alignment with our deeply held moral beliefs regarding marriage." And without a constitutional provision, the pair say current laws which define marriage in Arizona as solely between one man and one woman could be overturned.

Olmstead was out of the state on personal business. But Kincanas told Capitol Media Services he sees nothing improper about urging people to put the church's view on marriage into the state constitution.

"The church has always and will continue to address issues especially that are related to moral and ethical principles," he said. "We believe that marriage is a sacred relationship, that it is at the heart and core of society."

And Kincanas said it's not just an issue for Catholics: He pointed out the Union for Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America also issued a statement saying Judaism "affirms marriage only between a man and woman."

The Catholic Church has taken a particularly active role on the issue: The bishops directed Ron Johnson, their lobbyist, to convince legislators to put the issue on the November ballot.

Thursday's pastoral statement reinforces the church's view, with Kincanas saying these kinds of documents "reflect on the church's understanding of a particular issue" for followers.

The bishops' comments drew criticism from David Felten, minister of Fountains United Methodist Church in Fountain Hills.

"People have got this idea that they can speak for God and speak universally for all Christians," he said. And he noted it took the Catholic Church nearly 400 years to admit that Galileo was right and that the Earth is not the center of the universe.

Kincanas said he sees the issue before voters in absolute terms.

"The purpose of this proposition is to assure the fact that in the state of Arizona, the institution of marriage as, from time immemorial, is a relationship between one man and one woman," he said.

And what of the mention in the Old Testament of men with multiple wives?

"The reality is there have always been people who have lived in common-law relationships or perhaps have polygamous relationships," Kincanas said. "But that doesn't necessarily change the understanding of the institution of marriage because there are other possibilities."