NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      HONOLULU, Hawaii (CWNews.com) - Hawaii's bishops this week appealed to the state's voters to uphold traditional marriage when they are presented with a referendum on the November 3 ballot that would ban same-sex marriages.

      In a letter to Hawaii's Catholics, Bishop Francis DiLorenzo said the whole country will be looking to Hawaii to defend the family against attempts to make marriage between homosexuals and lesbians legal. Voters will be asked in the referendum to approve an amendment to the state constitution that will reserve marriage only to opposite-sex couples.

      The bishop warned that if the amendment is not passed, a state court will likely rule in favor of same-sex marriages, causing a domino effect across the United States as states without laws specifically banning the practice being forced to accept same-sex marriages performed in Hawaii.

      Bishop DiLorenzo added that while 70 percent of Hawaiians support traditional marriage, many citizens misunderstand the ballot question. "More disturbing, however, is that proponents of 'same-sex marriage' have embarked on a campaign with national dimensions to stop the amendment in Hawaii," he said. In addition, he said, non-profit groups and churches are banned from advocating a specific vote for or against the amendment.