WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A conference of 237 Roman Catholic bishops has declared same-sex marriages undermines the institution, the Washington Post reported Thursday.
The Washington conference echoes recent declarations by the Vatican, it aims to present church teachings in a way that will appeal to Americans, the newspaper said.
By voice votes, the bishops defeated amendments that would have condemned gay sex as "gravely sinful" or "gravely evil," opting instead for a sentence saying "both homosexual acts and unjust discrimination against homosexual persons" are immoral.
The declaration, approved by a vote of 234-3, allies them with a coalition of mainly evangelical Protestant groups that wants to make opposition to "gay marriage" a major issue in the 2004 presidential election.
"Both the state and the church can regulate marriage, but they can't change its definition," said Bishop Kevin Boland of Savannah, Ga., chairman of the committee that drafted the statement.
