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The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City is expressing solidarity with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in response to recent events relating to the passage of Proposition 8 in California.
The Most Reverend John C. Wester, Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, released a statement today saying:
"In light of recent events, I wish to express the support and solidarity of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City with our brothers and sisters in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"Recently, both of our churches took a strong stand in California to support Proposition 8 which sought to maintain the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. Like our friends in the Mormon faith, the Catholic Church has long championed and promoted the sacredness of traditional marriage and the importance of the family in our society.
"While acknowledging that this position is not universally held in our society today, our churches are committed to proclaiming the truth and we cherish our ability to participate in the democratic process.
"It is worth noting that our two churches joined with a wide alliance of people from different faiths and ethnicities including Orthodox, Jews, Evangelicals, Hispanics, African Americans, Asians and Anglos. Our defense of traditional marriage should in no way be interpreted as an attack on any person. To the contrary, we honor the dignity and sacredness of each individual.
"I acknowledge that this is a very controversial topic in society today and that many people have strong feelings regarding the definition of marriage. It is my hope that in the ongoing conversation, both sides would engage the democratic process in mutual respect and acknowledge the right of the other to speak in the public square. One of the hallmarks of our country is that people of different opinions can debate neuralgic issues and at the same time demonstrate respect, civility and courtesy for the other. I pray that this will be the case going forward."
Today's response comes on the heels of a statement last night from Bishop William Weigand, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento and former Bishop of Salt Lake City. It reads in part: "Bigoted attacks on Mormons for the part they played in our coalition are shameful and ignore the reality that Mormon voters were only a small part of the groundswell that supported Proposition 8."
Last night a crowd of 2,000 to 5,000 people marched in downtown Salt Lake to protest the LDS Church's support of California's Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage. That rally and march followed a similar protest a day earlier at the LDS Temple in Los Angeles.
LDS Church leaders responded to the backlash, saying in a statement that it's wrong to target the Church and its sacred places of worship for being part of the democratic process.
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