Kaine says Catholic Church might change on gay marriage
AP
More coming from the Novus Ordo?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine is predicting that the Roman Catholic Church may eventually change its opposition to gay marriage.
Kaine
is a devout Roman Catholic as well as a U.S. senator from Virginia and a
former governor of that state. He told the Human Rights Campaign during
its national dinner Saturday in Washington that he had changed his mind
about gay marriage and that his church may follow suit one day.
"I
think it's going to change because my church also teaches me about a
creator who, in the first chapter of Genesis, surveyed the entire world,
including mankind, and said, 'It is very good,'" Kaine said. He then
recalled Pope Francis' remark that "who am I to judge?" in reference to
gay priests.
"I
want to add: Who am I to challenge God for the beautiful diversity of
the human family? I think we're supposed to celebrate it, not challenge
it," Kaine said.
While
he pledged to fight for increased rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and queer Americans, Kaine admitted that he had opposed gay
marriage until 2005.
"For
a long time while I was battling for LGBT equality, I believed that
marriage was something different," he said. Virginia's lieutenant
governor when state lawmakers pushed for a constitutional amendment to
keep marriage between one man and one woman, he recalled speaking to
amendment supporters who said they hoped LGBT people would feel so
unwelcome that they would move out of Virginia.
"When I heard the proponents describe their motivations, it became clearer to me where I should stand on this," he said.
Voters approved the amendment in 2006. The U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in all states in June 2015.
Before
introducing Kaine, Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin called
Republican nominee Donald Trump the "gravest threat" the LGBTQ community
has faced in a presidential election.
