Archbishop Niederauer. (CNS/Greg Tarczynski)
In case you missed it, there’s been a development in the California debate over same-sex marriage: an open letter from the archbishop of San Francisco appealing for both sides to be more tolerant of each other. The money quote:
We need to stop hurling names like ‘bigot’ and ‘pervert’ at each other. And we need to stop it now.
Here’s our story, and here’s a link to the full text of the letter.
The letter also discusses some of the other issues that have been swirling in California since voters approved the same-sex marriage ban last month. From our story:
In the letter, the archbishop also:
— Stated that the Archdiocese of San Francisco “did not donate or transfer any archdiocesan funds” to support Proposition 8.
— Strongly criticized “voices in the wider community” which charged Proposition 8 backers with “hatred, prejudice and bigotry.”
— Defended faith communities’ involvement in the political arena.
— Underscored Proposition 8 backers’ “defense of the traditional understanding and definition of marriage” as their motivation, rather than seeking to attack “any group” or “to deprive others of their civil rights.”
CNS Blog 
I applaud the Archbishop for posting this letter. However I hope he is not suggesting that marriage is a civil right. That is the whole premise of the problem between the two camps right now. Homosexuals try to identify their whole identity on this fact that they are born that way and that to deny them the ability to marry whoever they want is discrimination. However no one has ever produced a shread of scientific proof that homosexuality is a gene that we are born with.
We have to be respectful of their view however must be careful and forsee the problems of allowing such ‘marriages’ to take place. This will place their homosexuality above our religious beliefs and possibly impact our ability to practice our faith.