Julian Porteous, the former auxiliary Bishop of Sydney under Cardinal George Pell, has been a tireless opponent of marriage equality.

Despite his recent appointment as Archbishop of Hobart, Porteous hasn’t changed his views or his focus.

His first column in the Tasmanian press, in which he was invited to outline his vision for the island, was all about the threat same-sex marriage poses to families and society.

Column inches Porteous could have devoted to addressing poverty, war, inequity, asylum seekers, problem gambling, family violence, or even God, where wasted on statistics from Scandinavia that supposedly show same-sex marriage harms children (but which show nothing of the kind).

Is stopping same-sex couples tying the knot really the most important issue in the eyes of the Catholic Church?

Fortunately, I’m not the only one asking that question.

Pope Francis has said opposition to same-sex marriage, abortion and contraception should no longer be front and centre:

“It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time. The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent. The church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently. We have to find a new balance.”

Francis remains an opponent of marriage equality, but he is also an opponent of those who want to turn their opposition into a holy crusade.

Francis has called a truce in the marriage equality culture war.

This is important because marriage equality should never have been a culture war battle ground.

It is about the sincere, heart-felt aspirations of ordinary people, not the cynical machinations of social engineers out to destroy marriage, family and religion.

As more people see the reality of marriage equality the conspiracy theories and persecution complexes have lost ground.

Francis has recognised this shift and effectively given Catholics permission to engage with the marriage equality debate in a more sophisticated and humane way.

People like Porteous may not be listening, but millions of other Catholics are.

The result will be a marriage equality debate in which the actual human experience of inequality and inclusion are finally allowed the central place they deserve.

Image: themercury.com.au
Author: Rodney Croome
Publication: Gay News Network
Date: 26 November 2013
See original article here