Statement of Bishop John McCormack on HB 436

The following Communiqué from Bishop John B. McCormack was released today by the Manchester, New Hampshire Diocese. We at Saint Benedict Center applaud this statement by our Bishop, and commend him and his support for traditional marriage to the prayers of our readers.

For thousands of years, marriage has been accepted as the union of one man and one woman.  We have built our entire civilization on this premise.  Marriage of a man and woman has enabled us to bring children into a stable setting and has established the family as the building block of our world.  Yesterday, fewer than 200 individuals attempted to change this common understanding and strike a blow to this foundation.

The New Hampshire House, through the narrowest of margins, voted to establish same-sex marriage in New Hampshire. HB 436 deeply disappoints and concerns hundreds of thousands of New Hampshire citizens. The bill runs directly counter not simply to the teachings of the Catholic Church, but to the well-established and proven values of our civilization — values that are time tested and fully incorporated into our system of justice.

We speak not out of disrespect for any individual. Jesus taught respect for all peoples. This we fully believe and teach constantly. We speak for we are concerned that this sacred bond between a man and a woman could be so carelessly discarded.

I urge the New Hampshire Senate and Governor Lynch to act in accordance with what the majority of New Hampshire citizens rightly believe about marriage and ensure that HB 436 does not become law.