From the time Our Savior, as He was soon to be crucified, confronted Pontius Pilate and responded to Pilate鈥檚 claim of power over Him with the words: 鈥淵ou would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above,鈥 (John 19:10), tension has existed between what St. Augustine calls the 鈥淐ity of God鈥 and the 鈥淐ity of Man.鈥
In the course of human history, the holy martyrs sacrificed their very lives in testimony to the City of God. Among them, St. Thomas Becket was killed on Dec. 29, 1170, as he knelt in prayer. He suffered martyrdom because he resisted King Henry II鈥檚 encroachment into the rights of the church to proclaim the Gospel and the freedom to govern the church according to this Holy Gospel.
How well aware we are of our own diocesan patron鈥檚 firm commitment to the church鈥檚 teachings on holy matrimony as this noble bishop of Rochester in England, St. John Fisher, resisted King Henry VIII鈥檚 attempts to manipulate the valid bond of marriage. Bishop Fisher was executed on June 22, 1535, by the cruel and inhuman act of beheading, as was St. Thomas More on July 6, 1535, as he too fought against the king鈥檚 machinations.
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While we always desire to be loyal and good citizens, there are times when our democratic form of government allows us to oppose what we know to be contrary to our Catholic faith and the good of humanity; we are called to mirror the faith of the saints who remained firm in their commitment to Christ.
At this moment in our state鈥檚 history we are now confronted with the proposed equal rights amendment set to appear on the ballot for a popular vote on Nov. 5, 2024, as Proposal 1. This amendment poses a very serious threat to living out our Catholic faith and values, as well as threatening the rights of all citizens.
While some of the language of the proposed amendment is unobjectionable, the New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the bishops of New York state in public policy matters, strongly opposes the referendum for important reasons.
First, it would enshrine a fundamental right to abortion on demand in the state Constitution. While the practical impact of this likely would be minimal given that the state Legislature already has embedded this right in statute, by adding it to the state Constitution, it would make it nearly impossible to enact any pro-life laws even if public opinion in New York was to evolve.
Second, because the language of the amendment would bar discrimination based either on "age" or "gender identity" or "gender expression," it could open the door to a judicial interpretation barring parents from having any say in medical interventions of their minor children regarding "gender transition" and could impact youth sports, locker room and bathroom facility use and more.
We also have concerns regarding religious liberty implications for our charitable institutions.
In opposing this legislation, the New York State Catholic Conference, which again has our diocesan support in concert with my brother bishops of the metropolitan province of the Archdiocese of New York, is not aligning us with a political party, a candidate for public office or the platform of a particular party. Rather we are addressing, as is our duty, a critical moral issue that transcends all political affiliations.
The subject at hand is a human rights issue that unjustly intrudes upon and invades the rights of parents to fulfill the promise they made at the time of their children鈥檚 baptisms to be the first and the best of teachers of their children in the ways of the Christian life.
Even parents not of our faith and non-believers who are the protectors and guardians of their children鈥檚 welfare have the natural right to know and to direct the decisions of their children. In their young lives they can make very harmful and detrimental choices that they will so sadly regret in later life, carrying with them grave, traumatic effects.
During this month of October, in which we celebrate Respect Life Month, it is imperative that we raise up to God our pleas to protect the dignity of human life in our state from the moment of conception until natural death. The church does not imagine her message is too lofty for ordinary people; on the contrary, it is accessible to everyone, old and young, rich and poor, educated and uneducated.
The Most Rev. Salvatore R. Matano is the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester. Cayuga County is one of 12 counties that make up the diocese. He can be reached at the Pastoral Center, 1150 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY 14624, or by telephone at (585) 328-3210. Aside from minor edits for style and grammar this column has been reprinted as submitted, and was originally printed in The Catholic Courier. Additional columns can be read at .