Canadian Bishop Warns Priests Who Officiate at Homosexual ‘Marriages’ Will Be Suspended

OTTAWA, June 23, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Ottawa Archbishop Marcel Gervais responded to inquiries from reporters today on homosexual ‘marriage’.  In his communications, forwarded to LifeSite by the archdiocese, the Archbishop warned that any Catholic clergy officiating at a homosexual ‘marriage’ ceremony would be suspended.  “In the Catholic Church, an attempted marriage of two of the same sex would not be recognized and the person officiating would be suspended from their sacred duties,” he said.  Archbishop Gervais stressed that no change in civil law or even a ruling from the Supreme Court would alter the Catholic Church’s position on marriage.  “We will continue to support the recognition of marriage as the union between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others,” he said. “Even if the Supreme Court of Canada gave its approval, the Catholic Church would not permit any of its licensed personnel to celebrate these relationships as marriages.”