On Prop. 8, bishop true to his faith

By Marcos Breton
mbreton@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Nov. 01, 2008 | Page 1B
People of Catholic faith – my faith – are among the strongest supporters of Proposition 8, the initiative that in California would eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.

And here in Sacramento, we have a standout voice against gay marriage in Bishop Jaime Soto, soon-to-be-leader of the Diocese of Sacramento.

Soto is unafraid to be unpopular.

He's defended undocumented immigrants while sparring on CNN with Lou Dobbs. And he has supported a centuries-old definition of marriage before groups opposed to his words.

"We have a state that has become intolerant of religion that is not comfortable and accommodating," Soto said. "Those of us who share different values ... all of a sudden will become the bigots."

I don't think Soto is a bigot. He is defending an ideology. Catholics believe marriage is between a man and a woman. Based on his Christian beliefs, so does Sen. Barack Obama – though Obama modulates his personal views for political reasons.

Soto doesn't: "I'm concerned that giving birth to children and raising children will no longer be part of the marriage deal. It will be peripheral. ... The union between a man and a woman is to not only share life, but to create life."

Though it's legal, the Catholic Church opposes gays adopting children. And it doesn't matter if science one day proves that people are born gay. "This isn't saying gay people are evil or bad because they have this orientation. ... We would say homosexual intercourse is sinful," Soto said.

So if you're born gay and love the church, you must remain celibate. If you're gay, love the church and want to share the joy of parenthood, you can't. If you're weak with AIDS, the church will minister to you. But if you're gay and strong of health and conviction, the church will frown upon you.

So I asked the bishop: If we insist that our gay brothers and sisters bear these crosses, are we sure we're right?

"Have we made mistakes before? Yeah," Soto answered. "But if we have to bet on something, I would say you have a strong tradition of faith that has done an awful lot of good in the world. ... Am I going to listen to a poll or to St. Francis of Assisi? Or St. Paul? Or Mother Teresa? I choose to keep company with them."

I do, too. But even if you like your odds in a "bet," all bets are wagered on an unknown outcome.

So what did Jesus say about gays? "That's a little bit of a trap," Soto said. "Whether Jesus ever said anything about homosexuality and whether same-sex marriage hinges on that, I would say no. Jesus didn't say anything about stem cells, either."

No. But we're debating human beings, not stem cells. Our secular Declaration of Independence says, "All men are created equal."

Even in church, we're sinners lurching for the Kingdom of God, struggling with questions we can't answer, divided by interpretations of his word. The answer is always faith.


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Call The Bee's Marcos Bretón, (916) 321-1096.