Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine, in a speech to the Human Rights Campaign on Sept. 10, predicted that the Roman Catholic Church might someday change its mind about opposing gay marriage.
The Virginia senator is a practicing Catholic. His bishop, Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo, posted a statement on the Catholic Diocese of Richmond's website that said the Catholic Church's position will not change.
During his Human Rights Campaign speech, Kaine said, "I think it's going to change because my church also teaches me about a creator who, in the first chapter of Genesis, surveyed the entire world, including mankind, and said, 'It is very good.'"
Kaine then said, "Who am I to challenge God for the beautiful diversity of the human family? I think we're supposed to celebrate it, not challenge it."
The statement addressed Kaine's comments without mentioning the Virginia Democrat, saying, "More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on marriage, and despite recent comments from the campaign trail, the Catholic Church's 2,000-year-old teaching to the truth about what constitutes marriage remains unchanged and resolute," the statement said.
"As Catholics, we believe all humans warrant dignity and deserve love and respect, and unjust discrimination is always wrong. Our understanding of marriage, however, is a matter of justice and fidelity to our Creator's original design," DiLorenzo said in his statement.
The bishop pointed to the belief in a mother and father as vital to a child's development.
"Redefining marriage furthers no one's rights, least of all those of children, who should not purposely be denied of the right to be nurtured and loved by a mother and a father," he said.
DiLorenzo ended his statement urging Catholics to support the "true nature" of marriage. "We call on Catholics and all those concerned for preserving this sacred union to unite in prayer, to live and speak out with compassion and charity about the true nature of marriage—the heart of family life," he wrote.
The Catholic News Agency called into question another of Kaine's statements, by pointing out that Kaine has said he is "personally opposed" to abortion, but voted against bringing a 20-week abortion ban to a vote on the Senate floor.
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