The Florida Catholic Conference is the nonpartisan public policy voice of the Catholic Bishops of Florida.

 

Catholic Church on Marriage > Florida Marriage Protection, Amendment 2

 
 


Archbishop John C. Favalora

Archdiocese of Miami


Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito
Diocese of Palm Beach


Bishop Robert N. Lynch

Diocese of St. Petersburg


Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ
Diocese of Pensacola/Tallahassee


Bishop Victor Galeone
Diocese of St. Augustine


Bishop Thomas G. Wenski
Diocese of Orlando


Bishop Frank J. Dewane
Diocese of Venice


Auxiliary Bishop Felipe J. Estevez
Archdiocese of Miami


Auxiliary Bishop John G. Noonan
Archdiocese of Miami

 


> Resources to strengthen your marriage

The dignity of marriage and the significance of the matrimonial union are accepted in all cultures.  Research shows that the well-being of the individual and of society as a whole is closely tied with the healthy state of married and family life.  The value of marriage, held in high esteem as a bond greater than any one individual, must be preserved.

Bishops Praise Passage of Florida Marriage Amendment
The Florida Catholic Conference is very pleased with the passage of Amendment 2.  This addition to the Florida Constitution not only preserves the institution of marriage in our state but also contributes to its protection across our country.  More...

Bishops Marriage Statement
The Union of One Man and One Woman
Bishops of Florida Support Amendment 2
- Marriage Protection

As teachers and pastors, we seek to educate Florida’s Catholic faithful on the true nature and meaning of marriage as established by God and honored by Catholic teaching and tradition.  

In the beginning, the Lord showed us in scripture his plan for marriage as the joining of a man and a woman.  “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) 

> click here for full statement - English / Spanish

Questions & Answers on Marriage
> English / Spanish

 

Additional Resources
> Why we urge a ‘yes’ vote on marriage amendment, Archbishop Favalora, Archdiocese of Miami, October 10, 2008

Contrary to what you might hear, this amendment would change no existing laws or ordinances. It would not prevent cities or counties from passing ordinances allowing people in so-called civil unions, or any other living arrangements, to obtain health or other benefits for their partners.  More...

> Letter to the Editor: Protection of Marriage, Bishop Galeone, Diocese of St. Augustine, September 29, 2008

...Amendment 2 has nothing to do with government action. It has everything to do with the citizens preventing the government from redefining marriage. Amendment 2 allows the people, and not activist judges, to decide how marriage will be defined in Florida. More...

> ‘Common good’ calls for defense of traditional, legal marriage, Bishop Wenski, Diocese of Orlando, July 3, 2008

The imposition by judicial fiat of same-sex marriage on the citizens of California has reminded us that society’s culture wars are far from over.  More...

> Same-sex marriage could spell trouble for church, U.S. bishops’ counsel speaks to Latino leaders, urges passage of Amendment 2, Florida Catholic, October 7, 2008

Picarello said problems could arise if the amendment does not pass, and the Florida Supreme Court eventually does what the Massachusetts and California supreme courts have done: expand the definition of marriage to include same-sex unions. More...

> Statement of the Florida Bishops: Marriage Is Between One Man and One Woman, September 2005

We, the Catholic Bishops of Florida, join together in support of a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as the legal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife.  More...

> Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to Participants in the Forum of Family Associations, May 16, 2008

...the union of life and love based on the marriage between a man and a woman, which constitutes the family, is an indispensable good for society as a whole and must not be confused or likened to other types of union. More...

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Orthodox Jewish-Catholic Statement on Marriage, Created in the Divine Image, September 2, 2008

As leaders of our respective faiths, we, as Orthodox Rabbis, communal leaders and representatives of the Roman Catholic Bishops of the United States, wish to affirm our shared commitment to the ordinance of God, the Almighty One, who created man and woman in the divine image...More...

> Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1601-1666, Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2000

The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring...More...

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Between Man and Woman: Questions and Answers about Marriage and Same-Sex Unions, USCCB, November, 2003

A growing movement today favors making those relationships commonly called same-sex unions the legal equivalent of marriage. This situation challenges Catholics—and all who seek the truth—to think deeply about the meaning of marriage...More...
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Pd.pol.adv. by the Florida Catholic Conference, 201 W. Park Ave., Tallahassee, FL 32301, as an in- kind contribution to Florida4marriage.org.