Catholic leadership reaction to same sex marriage: predictable

It's fascinating how the "religious leaders" have reacted to the State Senate vote to legalize lesbian & gay marriage, according to today's (6/26) Daily News. First of all they are both Catholic. I'm not sure how other "religious leaders" are reacting. But the Catholic bishops are reacting totally predictably. New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan said

I think for anybody, especially state government, to tamper with something as sacred and timeless and as much a part of the human condition as marriage is careless.

I agree 100%. The state should not say who can and who can't get married.

The state was absolutely correct to step out of the business of "tamper[ing] with ... marriage," in particular, who can and who can't indulge in "something as sacred and timeless and as much a part of the human condition as marriage". Historically, the Catholic leadership has taken the position that when the state acts to make illegal what they oppose (see abortion), the state is doing the right thing. But when the state decides to step out of the business of deciding which people (women, gays) can make their own choices, then it is "careless".

This nonsense was echoed by Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. He told The Daily News, "The state should not be concerned abut regulating affection." Exactly. And that's what 33 senators said with their votes on Friday night. Di Marzio said some other ridiculous things, but I will only mention one more.

It [passage of same sex marriage] is destructive because we fail to view marriage in the context of a vocation: a calling to participate in the great enterprise of forming the next generation. Marriage is reduced to an empty honor.

He says this despite the fact that it is obvious that lesbians and gay men are more than capable of "forming the next generation" by bringing up wonderful children. He should be advocating - if he is to be taken at all seriously - that no one (or two) who want a childless marriage should be issued a marriage license, no matter their sexual orientation.