We can’t adjust Scripture to change marriage teaching

    What are your thoughts on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision June 26 to nullify a key provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)?
    I don’t think the fact that DOMA was struck down was a surprise because if you live in the real world, you try to read the signs of the times. You can see what’s happening in our country. At the same time, it’s disappointing and sad because we are on a slippery slope. This is another step taken in the deterioration of our traditional understanding of marriage as a sacred relationship between a man and a woman who have the opportunity to invite God into that relationship and become co-creators with God. We are on a slippery slope of redefining marriage as an institution.
    Some have accused the church of being too “dogmatic” on this issue.
    I don’t know if we’re conservative or traditional – we’re simply saying that this is the teaching of the Bible. This is what was understood in Old Testament times and in New Testament times. This is the teaching of Jesus. Upholding the great dignity of marriage was emphasized in the letters of the early Christian community. We are people who are rooted in the Scriptures, and we believe in the 2,000-year tradition that has been our own.
    I realize that DOMA is involved with who has the rights to file income tax together and share in hospitalization plans and things like that. But I don’t think that’s the real issue. Those issues can be dealt with, and exceptions can be made in terms of benefits. When Pope Francis was a cardinal in Argentina, he specifically addressed this issue. He said this is not about “benefits.” He said this is about marriage, and it’s about what it means to be in the sacrament of marriage.
    My concern is that this ruling will redefine marriage. Our youth and young adults are confused by these kinds of discussions. It’s incumbent upon us as faith leaders to be able to instill in our young people an understanding of the sacredness of marriage, how powerful that union is,  and the awesome responsibility and demands it carries with it.
    What does the church teach about marriage?
    We believe that Christian marriage is between a man and a woman as they commit themselves to each other in a sacred union of love with the opportunity to procreate children. We can’t change that definition. That definition was given to us by more than 2,000 years of the Scriptures, and we can’t change that.
    How does this ruling affect Louisiana?
    It would surprise me if at any time in the near future the issue of gay marriage would be discussed by our legislators. At the same time, we in the state of Louisiana don’t live in a bubble. What’s going on in other states does have an effect on us, particularly on our youth and young adults and their understanding of marriage and sexuality. This challenges us as parents and faith leaders to form our children with values that make sense and that will uphold family life and not deteriorate family life.
    Could you see a day when the government might try to require priests and deacons to witness same-sex marriages?
    This could lead to two separate ceremonies. We don’t foresee that now, but it certainly has been discussed in other countries like Canada. It doesn’t exist right now, but that’s not to say that in the future a person would have to be literally married by the state, and then they would enter the sacrament of marriage through the church. Our teaching can’t change. It’s interesting when I hear people say the church needs to catch up with the times. This teaching is rooted in the Scriptures, and either we believe in the Scriptures and hold on to them or we say morality’s up for a vote.
    You have spent the last 10 days in Rome for meetings. What have you done?
    I went for three reasons. First, I went to check on the status of the beatification cause for Mother Henriette Delille, who founded the Sisters of the Holy Family here in New Orleans. The miracle that would lead to her beatification is still being discussed by the doctors of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
    Second, I went to take part in the closure of the investigation into the beatification cause for Cardinal Francis Xavier Thuan. I met Cardinal Thuan in the 1990s at a Marian devotion in Carthage, Mo., and I invited him to Notre Dame Seminary in 1996 to give an address to our seminarians. Cardinal Thuan was the former coadjutor archbishop of Saigon who spent nine years in solitary confinement in a Vietnamese prison. I will never forget what he told our seminarians. When he was in prison, someone was able to sneak in a piece of bread and a tiny bottle of wine, and every day he would celebrate Mass using his hand as the altar. He would take a crumb of the bread and a drop of wine and celebrate the Eucharist. Over time, he converted some of the prison guards, who became Christians and Catholics. When the guard would let him out occasionally into the fields, he took a few twigs from a tree and carved a bishop’s pectoral cross. He wore that very same pectoral cross when he spoke at Notre Dame Seminary, and it was the one he used when he was made a cardinal after his release from prison. We gave him an honorary degree, and he never tired of telling me how much he appreciated being a Notre Dame alumnus!
    I also went to Rome for the Catholic Leadership Institute to inform the Congregation for Clergy and the Congregation for Bishops of the program.
    Are you concerned about the continuing violence in New Orleans?
    I had one of those “signs of the times” moments a few days ago. I came home one night to see the “Thou Shalt Not Kill” banner, which sits in front of my home, shredded, torn down and thrown to the ground. The same thing happened to the sign protesting Planned Parenthood and its agenda of bringing more abortion – more violence – to New Orleans. I was thinking to myself, “Well, that’s a sign of the times. People who don’t agree with us or who don’t have a respect for human life tear down signs.” Then I put on the 10 o’clock news and, on that evening, five people were shot, and a little boy killed his sister. The next morning in prayer I tried to put these things together. Someone slashes a sign that says “Thou Shalt Not Kill” – as if that’s not a relevant statement. And that very day, more people are killed. We have to continue to be a voice for life and human dignity in our community. We lost a brave voice the other day with the passing of Reverend John Raphael, who fasted for an end to violence in our city and who worked with us and with the city on so many nonviolence initiatives.
    Anything else?
    On a completely different subject, I would like to congratulate Peter Finney for winning the St. Francis de Sales Award from the Catholic Press Association. He is appreciated here. It’s good to see others recognize his gifts and accomplishments in ministry.
    Questions for Archbishop Aymond may be sent to [email protected]