Pope objects to Canada's gay "marriage".Vatican--Pope John Paul II John Paul II, 1920–2005, pope (1978–2005), a Pole (b. Wadowice) named Karol Józef Wojtyła; successor of John Paul I. He was the first non-Italian pope elected since the Dutch Adrian VI (1522–23) and the first Polish and Slavic pope. reiterated his opposition to gay "marriage" in his remarks to Canada's new ambassador to the Vatican, Donald Smith, on September 4, 2004. After praising Canada's contributions to the international community and her tolerance of ethnic groups, the Pope went on to say that, "Any attempts to change the meaning of the word 'spouse' contradict right reason. Legal guarantees ... cannot be applied to unions between persons of the same sex without creating a false understanding of the nature of marriage." The Pope's remarks came as the Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (French: Cour suprême du Canada) is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian justice system.[1] was preparing to hear arguments on the constitutionality of proposed federal legislation to legalize le·gal·ize tr.v. le·gal·ized, le·gal·iz·ing, le·gal·iz·es To make legal or lawful; authorize or sanction by law. le same-sex "marriage." The Court itself is the source for the promotion of same-sex "marriage" by inserting "sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. " in the Equality clause of the Charter of Rights in 1995 The Prime Minister's spokeswoman, Melanie Gruer, told the press after the Pope's statements that the government is fully aware of the "Pope's position on the matter of same-sex marriage," and "any decision on this issue will be taken by the Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada is Canada's legislative branch, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. According to Section 17 of the Constitution Act, 1867, Parliament consists of three components: the Sovereign, the Senate, and the House of Commons. ." |
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