Calling same-sex marriage immoral and unnecessary, while also expressing concern for the spiritual welfare of those with same-sex attraction, in a column that will appear in this week’s Rhode Island Catholic, The Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence shares why the General Assembly should protect marriage as a sacred union of one man and one woman.

“The Catholic Church has consistently promoted respect and pastoral care for individuals with same-sex attraction,” the Bishop writes.  “They are children of God and our brothers and sisters. They are invited to be members of our churches. It is our very concern for their spiritual welfare, however, that motivates our rejection of the homosexual lifestyle and same-sex marriage.”

The Bishop shares the following points, among others, relative to why the General Assembly should not pass legislation approving gay marriage in Rhode Island:

• Poses yet another threat to religious freedom;
• U.S. Supreme Court will hear two cases that will profoundly affect the legal status of marriage in our country and will make a decision this summer; and
• If we are in fact forced to discuss the nature of matrimony in our state, it should be placed before the general public in a referendum.

You can contact your Rhode Island representatives here.