Indiana Catholic bishops issue statement on gay marriage ban

Indiana’s Catholic bishops issued a statement Thursday on the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage — but they stopped short of taking a position on the hot-button topic.

The statement, signed by Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin and Indiana's five bishops, emphasizes the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, but also the dignity of all people.

“The Church upholds the dignity of every human person, including persons with same-sex attraction, who ‘must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity,’” the statement says. “At the same time, the Church upholds the dignity and sanctity of marriage, a natural institution established by God. By its very nature, marriage is a permanent partnership between one man and one woman ordered to the good of the couple and the procreation and education of children.”

Church officials said the statement isn’t intended to stake out a political position, but to inform people about Catholic teachings as they weigh the issue. Indiana is home to 747,706 Roman Catholics.

“People have the right to make their own decisions on these issues, but it needs to be done with an informed conscience,” said Greg Otolski, a spokesman for the Indianapolis Archdiocese.

Still, proponents of the amendment are interpreting the church’s position as a signal of support.

“Maybe it is an inkblot test, but I thought it to be an affirming statement about the central role of marriage and the church’s teachings,” said Curt Smith, president of the Indiana Family Institute, which supports the ban. “The way I read it, the parts about individual dignity and respect were more pastoral guidance on how to have the conversation rather than what public policy should be.”

At the same time, opponents of the amendment suggested the measure would indeed violate principles of dignity and respect for everyone because it bans not only same-sex marriage, but also civil unions.

“We respect their position and would highlight that marriage already is defined as between one man and one woman under Indiana law,” said Megan Robertson, campaign manager for Freedom Indiana, a coalition working to defeat the amendment.

Her group delivered a letter opposing the amendment to lawmakers last month. It was signed by 300 faith leaders from mostly mainline Christian denominations. Large numbers of evangelical Christians are among the amendment’s supporters.

“This amendment would prevent any legal recognition or protections for same-sex couples and would do tremendous damage to our state’s reputation and our fellow Hoosiers if permanently written into our Constitution,” she said. “It flies in the face both of compassion and Hoosier hospitality.”

Glenn Tebbe, executive director of the Indiana Catholic Conference, the official public policy voice of the church in Indiana, discouraged efforts to read anything extra into the bishops’ statement.

“Trying to read it one way or another is a political question, which is not what they’re trying to deal with,” said Tebbe, executive director of the conference, the official public policy voice of the church in Indiana. “At this point they are not taking an explicit position on this.”

Archbishop Tobin, who was traveling Thursday to a mass in South Bend in celebration of the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, could not be reached for comment. But he told the diocesan newspaper that the bishops’ statement should help Catholics avoid extremes in the debate.

“On the one hand, I hope that the statement serves to affirm the great esteem we afford to the institution of marriage, a way of life that is prior to the nation-state and any government,” he said. “On the other hand, we hope to reinforce the dignity of every human being, whom the Church accepts as a unique creation of our loving God.”

Otolski, his spokesman, acknowledged that those two principles might strike some people as contradictory.

“To a lot of people those two things might seem like they are in opposition,” he said. “I guess it’s a hard issue to quickly sum up in an easy statement.”

Call Star reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter: @indystartony.