“Thank goodness this is out there, clearly stated, with ample documentation and very reasonably put forward,” said Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien of Baltimore, which is hosting the fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops this week. “I think it’s going to be a very positive document.”
While “Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan” does not represent new Catholic teaching, bishops said the pastoral letter would address a need for an authoritative source to which church leaders may refer as they campaign against divorce, unmarried couples living together and same-sex unions. The bishops, meeting through Thursday at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, are scheduled to hear details of that campaign on Wednesday.
“We have the need to defend marriage within our culture,” said Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, a member of the committee that wrote the document. “This pastoral letter will also serve as a foundational document as we seek a direction and a strategy to defend marriage over these coming years.”
I was looking for the actual article and couldn’t find it.
Already left, you can find it here – http://www.usccb.org/laity/LoveandLife/MarriageFINAL.pdf
To me this is the far bigger news from the USCCB: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17748
Kendal, a post on this might give an interesting discussion.