Making legislative history, on Sept. 6 the California Assembly passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. Golden State lawmakers (state senators had earlier approved the measure) became the first in the United States to sanction gay marriages without a court order.

While no Republicans voted for the bill, 41 of the Assembly's 47 Democrats voted yes, with four Democrats voting no and two abstaining. The final vote was 41-35.

The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, authored by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), redefines marriage as a personal relation arising out of a civil contract between two persons.

The bill tries to circumvent the will of Californians, said Carol Hogan, associate director for pastoral projects and communications at the California Catholic Conference, who five years ago voted for Proposition 22, which says California would only recognize marriages between men and women. California bishops are opposed to the bill, and parishioners are encouraged to call their legislators and urge them to vote "no" or to "abstain."

Gov. Schwarzenegger has indicated he would veto AB 849. However, even if he did sign it, the measure would quickly be contested and end up in the courts to be sorted out, she added.

The idea of allowing same-sex marriages has gained traction in the United States as advocates try to make it a civil rights issue, observed Hogan. The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Canada have legalized same-sex marriages nationwide, over the objections of the Catholic Church in each country.

While the church rejects bigotry or discrimination towards homosexual people, allowing them the privileges of marriage does not advance the good of society, said Hogan.

"It so defies common sense that it takes on a surreal aspect. People of the same sex cannot perform the marriage act," said Hogan. "They can't create a family biologically which is the basis of marriage."

Marriage as an institution, she added, has been badly "damaged" through lenient divorce laws, the prevalence of single-parent households, widespread use of artificial contraception and the separation of childrearing from marriage.

Legalized same-sex marriages will not best serve children and families, said Hogan.

In Catholic teaching, marriage is a sacrament between a man and a woman, and children are best nurtured by married parents in a loving home. The teaching is evidenced by thousands of years of human history.

"Homosexual people do not have any less dignity as human beings nor do they have any less love from their families," said Hogan, noting however, that "marriage needs to be preserved as a unique institution of one man and one woman."