Catholics in call to lobby MPs over gay marriage

The leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales has urged the faithful to write to their MPs “as soon as possible” to oppose the UK government’s plans for gay marriage.

The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, has called on Roman Catholics to express their views to their constituency MPs “clearly, calmly and forcefully”.

He said one of his concerns about the plans was how children would be taught about the “true nature of marriage” in schools if the law is changed to allow same-sex marriage.

“Of course there are many different circumstances to family life. Events reshape the family lives of many people,” he wrote in a pastoral letter read out in parishes in the Diocese of Westminster over the weekend.

“We are right to express our admiration for those who work so hard to maintain family stability in difficulty and isolation. Support and loving care for them can make all the 
difference.

“But none of this takes away the importance of having a clear vision of marriage and family, based on human nature itself.”

The Most Rev Nichols said he prayed that the nation would maintain the importance of marriage between a man and a woman as the “heart of family life” and resist the proposed redefining of marriage with all its “likely consequences”, particularly in schools and how children are taught about the “true nature” of marriage.

“At this time, we look to our Members of Parliament to defend, not change, the bond of man and woman in marriage as the essential element of the vision of the family,” he said.

The UK government is committed to legislating on gay marriage by the 2015 general election, and a Bill is expected to be tabled in January. Prime Minister David Cameron has promised MPs a free vote on the issue.