ARCHBISHOP WAS MAKING NO THREAT

WHERE does one start with a letter such as the one recently penned by Ken Knight (GA 31/8)?

Knight refers to bishops threatening employees with dismissal over civil marriages. The only bishop accused of this is the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, His Grace, Denis Hart. The Archbishop did not threaten anyone with anything. The accusation grew out of a wilful mis- reading of his formal response to the gay marriage debate by some sections of the media.

There is no threat, explicit or implied, contained in the statement. Knight has perpetuated a lie the sole purpose of which was to unfairly discredit an alternative voice.

Then there is the business of Italy. Marriage requirements vary from region to region in Italy. Though there are common regulations, these are open to local interpretation. One practice that is common throughout Italy though, is that couples married by Catholic priests are not required to undergo the civil ceremony if the priest registers the marriage.

The civil/secular utopia that Knight manufactures of Italy simply doesn’t exist. Marriage, religion and the secular are as intertwined in Italy as they are here in Australia.

The current debate very much involves religion, despite Knight’s efforts to deny religious Australians a voice. As a Catholic my understanding of God is sacramental. Marriage is one of these sacraments. To alter the fundamental nature of marriage is to demand of me that I abandon, in fundamental and profound ways, my understanding of God. Is this fair?

Knight’s letter reminds us of our obligation to be accurately informed. Much of what appears in the gay marriage debate doesn’t stand up to even the most superficial scrutiny. Rev Allan Ansell, Belmont