FRIDAY, DECE~mER 15,
DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER
2006
Bishop Coleman urges "perseverance, commitment to marriage amendment At rallies in New Bedford and Barnstable, The Marriage Protection Amendment, which would dethe bishop and others spoke boldly against fine marriage as a union of one man and one woman in state lawmakers who unjustly and arrogantly Massachusetts, "involves our basic rights as citizens to refuse to act on the citizens' petition. vote on a matter that greatly affects the culture and sociBy
DEACON JAMES
N.
DUNBAR
NEW BEDFORD - Calling the proposed Massachusetts constitutional amendment on marriage "one of the most critical issues of our time," Bishop George W. Coleman on December 9, in a statement read by Father John J. Oliveira, urged a group gathered on City Hall steps to passionately persevere in efforts to move the reluctant legislature to act on their initiative petition. Father Oliveira is pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in New Bedford and dean of the New Bedford area parishes. The rally was followed by another in Barnstable. The following day, similar rallies were held at city hall locations in Springfield and in Worcester. All of the rallies denounced state legislators for their hitherto dereliction of duty in failing to act on the amendment in July and November and putting it off for an II thhour constitutional convention on January 2, the day before the current legislative session ends.
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ety in which we live," Bishop Coleman stated. In some of the most forceful language of his episcopacy, Bishop Coleman told the more than 100 at one rally, "In this great cause, we all must remain committed. We cannot lose our passion, our zeal or our resolve to defend and protect the truth about marriage. For the sake of our society, we must persevere." On the question of the legislature's failure in July and November to put off taking up the petition signed by 170,000 voters across Massachusetts, Bishop Coleman said, "Those who criticize and opposed our effort to amend the state constitution accuse us of bigotry and discrimination. They claim that we are trying to 'write discrimination into the constitution' and to deprive people of a civil right, which the courts must protect from the will of the majority." • Saying that normally, it would not be the task or responsibility of a Catholic bishop to safeguard and defend Tum to page three - Amendment