Rev. Leo Frade, the Episcopal bishop of the Southeast Florida Diocese, is totally against Amendment 2.
I cannot see how we can say we love our neighbors if we pass an amendment that could put at risk for these couples such rights as the ability to visit or to participate in medical choices for each other in illness or at the point of death.Faithful people have a wide range of opinions on the matter of same-sex unions. Like our own Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion, many other branches of Christianity, as well other faiths, are currently engaged in challenging conversations about their own doctrines and policies concerning marriage.
Despite this ongoing disagreement among people of good conscience, Florida has already passed a law that defines marriage as the proposed amendment would. However, some supporters of Amendment 2 have argued that a constitutional amendment is necessary to protect clergy from being forced to perform or recognize marriages that are contrary to their doctrine. I believe this fear is unfounded: Because of the religious freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, no religious group can be forced to recognize all forms of marriage sanctioned by the civil authorities.
But not all bishop-types are against it. John Favalora, archbishop with the Archdiocese of Miami, came out against Amendment 2 in an editorial in the Herald this weekend.
The common good [ed:of straight people] and the future of our society are served best through the natural order of a union of a man and a woman. Research and history [ed: you know, depending on which research you look at, and how you interpret history] support the traditional family as the best environment to nurture and raise healthy children [ed: even though gay adoption is illegal in this state] who thrive both physically and emotionally [ed: unless those kids happen to grow up to be gay, in which case we want to instill in them a sense of shame and inequality that can really mess them up for life].
There must be a special place in Hell for people who insert their own editorial remarks in the writing of an archbishop.
