Catholic Church In The U.S. Thanks California Faithful For Voting In Favor Of Proposition 8

November 9, 2008 9:09 a.m. EST

Los Angeles, CA (AHN) - The Roman Catholic Church in the United States thanked its faithful in California for supporting the passage of Proposition 8, which defined marriage as between man and woman, and has backed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as it hurdles protests by angry gay rights activists for Mormons' millions of dollars in contributions to have the proposition passed.

Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles thanked his parishioners in a statement he released a day after the election. "I am grateful to the Catholic Community of Los Angeles for your commitment to the institution of marriage as fashioned by God and to work with such energy to enshrine this divine plan into our state's Constitution," he said.

"Proposition 8 is not against any group in our society. Its sole focus is on preserving God's plan for people living upon this earth throughout time. The Catholic Church understands that there are people who choose to live together in relationships other than traditional marriage. All of their spiritual, pastoral and civil rights should be respected, together with their membership in the church," he added.

In Salt Lake City, Utah, the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City showed support to the Mormon faith as it faces a back lash from same-sex marriage proponents. Gay rights activists are angry with the Church of the Latter Day Saints as Mormons contributed $15 million to the "Yes On 8" campaign.

Church President Thomas Monson released a statement from the church's headquarters in Salt Lake City denying that the church's opposition to same-sex marriage has anything to do with bigotry.

"It is important to understand that this issue for the church has always been about the sacred and divine institution of marriage -- a union between a man and a woman. Allegations of bigotry or persecution made against the church were and are simply wrong. The church's opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and lesbians," he said.

"Even more, the church does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches," Monson added.

Salt Lake City Bishop John Wester called for civility and respect after thousands of activists protest in front of the Mormon headquarters in downtown Salt Lake City.

"In light of recent events, I wish to express the support and solidarity of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City with our brothers and sisters in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Like our friends in the Mormon faith, the Catholic Church has long championed and promoted the sacredness of traditional marriage and the importance of the family in our society," Wester said in a statement.