“Doing the truth in charity” is more than a nice phrase from St. Paul. It is a solemn responsibility for all of us who are disciples of Jesus Christ who came “not to condemn the world but to save it.” That charge which comes from the words and example of Jesus Himself is never easy. Yet faithfulness to Him, to His Word and to His teaching is our task and our obligation. We do so, however, always with great respect and love for one and all.

Ever since the Commonwealth of Massachusetts decided to give legal status to the private relationship between two persons of the same sex and call it “marriage,” we bishops have been concerned about what that might mean for us here in neighboring New York. I personally thought there would be an appeal to the judicial system, but the New York judicial system wisely saw this as beyond their mandate and correctly so. Previous governors indicated they would not support legislative action in favor of “same sex marriage.” The Assembly and Senate did not seem eager to move in that direction despite strong pressure from special interest groups.

Now our new governor has decided to circumvent the legislature, the courts and any testing of the will of the people. He has decided by an administrative decree that unions of persons of the same sex which are recognized as “marriage” in another state would be recognized and honored as such here in New York. This is just plain wrong.

Put aside the questionable action of a sitting governor subverting the democratic process of discussion, debate and vote. Put aside the lack of reference to the constitution of the State of New York. Put aside the lack of consultation with the State Senate and Assembly. Put aside the total circumvention of any listening to the will of the people. All these are serious deficiencies that render the governor’s action unseemly and indefensible in a democratic society. The fact is what the truth is: this is wrong and no amount of trying to appeal to “fair play” or “equality” or “putting all relationships on the same footing” can make this right.

The state can and does extend certain rights and privileges to married couples. They do so because the state has a vested interest in the bond that a man and a woman make to each other in public when they marry. That interest is the common good of society which is enhanced and stabilized by marriage as a public institution which is the basis of all other societies. That interest is in the present and future good of society that can be guaranteed in the long run only by stable married and family life which is possible only in the natural order of a union between a man and a woman.

This is not discrimination against homosexual men and women. No one has a right to discriminate against persons because of their sexual orientation. This is not the denial of a “right” that some have and others do not. Sexual relationships are essentially private matters until they are made public by public action. Then they have to be scrutinized to see if they correspond to what is good and right and true for the common good of society. In all these levels, sexual intimacy between persons of the same sex does not pass muster. They do not serve the common good. They cannot do so because they contradict biological teleology and the natural law. This does not impugn the motives or the goodness of any person. This does say that the truth must never become victim to misguided actions that seek to impose a false interpretation of what is real on our society.

In this case the governor not only sidesteps democratic process. He acts contrary to the common good and introduces into New York a phenomenon that corresponds to the desires of a few at the expense of the whole and at the expense of the good of New York. Yet he seeks to please those who want the state to recognize and bless their private relationships as equal to the publicly proclaimed and publicly beneficial state of marriage between a man and a woman. I fail to understand how this can be called marriage, no matter how many people want to call it that. No matter how much some may wish to apply the term “marriage,” it does not fit because it fails the test of truth and authenticity. To say otherwise is to do a disservice not only to marriage but also to homosexual persons whose private relationships have no more to do with the good of society than do my personal friendships with my brother priests. These are friendships, and we recognize the good of friendship in the lives of us all. They are not the building blocks of a good society that lives the truth in love.

Please read the statement of the New York bishops. (You may also access the bishops’ statement online at www.nyscatholic.org, under “News and Alerts.”) Please take a moment to protest this ill-considered and arbitrary action to the governor as well as to the members of the Long Island delegation in the Assembly and the Senate. And please continue to pray for all our brothers and sisters of any sexual orientation that we might all live in harmony and in truth, respecting one another while insisting on doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong for the good of our society and the common good of all.