September 21, 2006

Dear Parishioners,

It is not often that we get a second chance to do the right thing. However later this fall Members of Parliament have been promised another chance to revisit the matter of the definition of marriage. The people of Canada will also have their second chance to do the right thing, by expressing again their conviction that, by definition, marriage is the union between husband and wife.

This is not merely the common sense definition of marriage. According to the polls it is the view held by a majority of Canadians. More important even than that, we know from the first chapters of the Bible that it is the plan of God.

Government has other opportunities to legislate for various kinds of partnerships that do not fit the definition of marriage, and to ensure that people in such partnerships have adequate legal protections and standing. It does not need to change the definition of marriage to accommodate these situations.

I would encourage every adult Catholic to contact your Member of Parliament on this issue and express to him or her your views on the nature of marriage. You can do this by phone or in writing, and you can do it in your own informal and respectful words.

Today, we have so many problems with our social structures that the second chance to correct one of them by reaffirming the specific nature of marriage is a wonderful opportunity for us. We can express ourselves both as Canadians who are not uncaring for the range of persons who comprise our society, and as people who at the same time want to do the right thing.

May God bless you all,

Raymond J. Lahey
Bishop of Antigonish