Archbishop Bernard Longley in the UK:

In a challenging homily on Easter Monday 2012, Archbishop Longley stated: “Marriage and family life go side by side in the Christian tradition. As you will know the Government is determined to change the meaning of marriage so that it is no longer the life-long, exclusive union between a man and a woman open to the gift of children.”

The Archbishop of Birmingham stressed: “Christian marriage respects and celebrates the difference between male and female as God-given, and sees a true equality in the way they complement each other. We have a right to express this view forcefully in the public debate and we need to emphasise that we are not seeking to discriminate against anybody.”