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CNN Live At Daybreak
Vatican Restates Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage
Aired July 31, 2003 - 06:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Some say the backlash has begun. Just when gays seemed to be becoming mainstream, the fighting begins anew.
Front and center, the Vatican. The Catholic Church is vowing to fight gay marriage.
Live to Rome and CNN's Delia Gallagher.
How is the church going to do that?
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, they're doing that in several ways. One of them is issuing this document this morning. No big surprises in the document, which is called Considerations Regarding the Legal Recognition of Homosexual Unions. It addresses very specifically this issue of the legal recognition of homosexual unions, whether they should be put on par with heterosexual marriage.
So, it doesnt go into any other issues of homosexuality in the priesthood or homosexuality in the church, but addresses politicians and those responsible for this legislation, which, of course, is a topic of debate in European countries and in the United States.
One Vatican official told me this morning that the document essentially says, here are some arguments that you can use in defense of traditional marriage and against same-sex unions.
COSTELLO: So, somehow the Vatican is going to contact Catholic politicians to put pressure on them to use their power to stop gay marriages from happening.
GALLAGHER: Well, yes. It's the Vatican responding to some of the political debates that has come about in the last few years. Actually, they've been working on this document for two years, and everybody knows where the Vatican stands on homosexuality and on the legal recognition of that.
But, yes, they are attempting to talk to Catholic politicians and politicians in general, because this is not just an issue for the Catholic Church. Many religions are speaking out against the same-sex marriage. And so, they are attempting to remind these politicians of what the position of the church is and why.
COSTELLO: Delia Gallagher reporting live for us by phone from Rome.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired July 31, 2003 - 06:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Some say the backlash has begun. Just when gays seemed to be becoming mainstream, the fighting begins anew.
Front and center, the Vatican. The Catholic Church is vowing to fight gay marriage.
Live to Rome and CNN's Delia Gallagher.
How is the church going to do that?
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, they're doing that in several ways. One of them is issuing this document this morning. No big surprises in the document, which is called Considerations Regarding the Legal Recognition of Homosexual Unions. It addresses very specifically this issue of the legal recognition of homosexual unions, whether they should be put on par with heterosexual marriage.
So, it doesnt go into any other issues of homosexuality in the priesthood or homosexuality in the church, but addresses politicians and those responsible for this legislation, which, of course, is a topic of debate in European countries and in the United States.
One Vatican official told me this morning that the document essentially says, here are some arguments that you can use in defense of traditional marriage and against same-sex unions.
COSTELLO: So, somehow the Vatican is going to contact Catholic politicians to put pressure on them to use their power to stop gay marriages from happening.
GALLAGHER: Well, yes. It's the Vatican responding to some of the political debates that has come about in the last few years. Actually, they've been working on this document for two years, and everybody knows where the Vatican stands on homosexuality and on the legal recognition of that.
But, yes, they are attempting to talk to Catholic politicians and politicians in general, because this is not just an issue for the Catholic Church. Many religions are speaking out against the same-sex marriage. And so, they are attempting to remind these politicians of what the position of the church is and why.
COSTELLO: Delia Gallagher reporting live for us by phone from Rome.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
