Several high-ranking Catholic clerics made a trip to Albany in March to lobby against same-sex marriage. Of all the bishops, it was Brooklyn’s new Ordinary, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, who spoke most bluntly about the Church’s opposition to gay marriage.
In a radio interview, Bishop DiMarzio noted the absurdity of permitting two people of the same sex to marry. Similarly, he questioned the wisdom of allowing three people to marry. But what really drew the ire of homosexuals was his comment, “Why can’t we have marriages between people and pets?”
Immediately, the Brooklyn bishop was criticized by New York State Senator Thomas Duane and Kevin Cathcart, executive director of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. The Catholic League rushed to Bishop DiMarzio’s defense by releasing the following comment to the press:
“Tom Duane brands Bishop DiMarzio’s comment about marriages between people and pets ‘nonsensical,’ and Kevin Cathcart labels it ‘absurd.’ But neither offers a principled reason why—if two men can marry—we can’t allow Fred to marry Fido. Nor can they make a principled argument against allowing Tom, Dick and Harry to marry. After all, if it’s discriminatory not to allow Tom to marry Dick, why isn’t it a matter of discrimination to stop Tom and Dick from adding Harry to their marriage? Why should poor Harry be left out in the cold?
“If love is the sole basis for marriage, then what gives society the right to deny a marriage license to Fred and Fido? Or, for that matter, to Sam and Sally, a brother-sister couple who—like in the movie ‘The Dreamers’—love each other in a way most people find unnatural? Surely it is irrational to forbid incest! After all, we once made it illegal for whites to marry blacks, didn’t we? So isn’t it the same to deny Fred and Fido; Tom, Dick and Harry; and Sam and Sally? Wouldn’t it be intolerant to say no to this happy trio of lovers? Isn’t this what makes America great—equal rights for those who commit bestiality, polygamy, sodomy and incest?
“Thank God we have bishops like Nick DiMarzio. It’s about time we forced the crazies to defend their logic.”
