Catholics urged to support marriage amendment

WASHINGTON — The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has urged Catholics to actively support a federal constitutional amendment that would declare marriage as the union of one man and one woman, thus banning gay “marriage.”

“Today there is a growing sense shared by many people, including a wide range of religious leaders, that a Marriage Protection Amendment is the only federal-level action that ultimately will protect and preserve the institution of marriage,” Bishop William S. Skylstad said in a March 27 letter, released April 3, to all of the nation’s bishops.