Oregon Catholic Conference

The Oregon Catholic Conference advocates and promotes the pastoral teaching of Oregon's Catholic Bishops (Archdiocese of Portland and the Diocese of Baker) on various issues at the state and national levels in service to the Catholic people of Oregon.  The active Catholic Bishops in Oregon are the members of the Oregon Catholic Conference ("OCC").  

The Oregon Catholic Conference is deeply grieved by Judge McShane's ruling to redefine marriage. It is a travesty of justice that marriage, as the foundation of society, received no defense in the court. Attorney General, Ellen Rosenblum, in an extreme dereliction of her sworn duty to uphold the law, refused to represent the interests and the people of Oregon. It is a sad day for democracy when one federally appointed judge can overturn, without any representation, the express will of the people of Oregon. 

Despite the judge's ruling, authentic marriage remains what it has always and only been according to God's design: the loving union between one man and one woman for the mutual benefit of the two who have become one flesh and any children born of their union. Redefining marriage confuses the true purpose and meaning of marriage. An act deliberately ensuring that more children will grow up motherless or fatherless is not an act of love. The Oregon Catholic Conference will continue to uphold the true meaning of marriage and advocate for genuine marriages and families in Oregon, and it urges all people of good will to continue to reject the flawed notion that a pairing of two people of the same gender constitutes a marriage. 
 

The Oregon Catholic Conference Welcomes the National Organization for Marriage's Legal Motion in Support of the Oregon Constitution's Definition of Marriage as One Man and One Woman.

The Oregon Catholic Conference strongly supports the motion by the National Organization for Marriage to intervene in the federal district court challenge of Measure 36, the 2004 state ballot measure affirming marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Oregon's constitutional marriage amendment was carefully considered and thoroughly debated prior to its overwhelming passage in 2004. It represents the express will of the people of Oregon and is the duly enacted law of the state. In refusing to defend the law, and contrary to her oath of office, the Attorney General has unilaterally disregarded this decision of the people and has effectively silenced the voices of all the citizens of Oregon who voted to preserve marriage in the constitution as the union of one man and one woman. We are left wondering who will speak for them before the judge in this important case.

The Oregon Catholic Conference sincerely hopes that marriage between one man and one woman, as voted into the constitution by the people of Oregon, will not be overturned in a courtroom without a single voice speaking in favor of it. Oregonians recognize the uniqueness of marriage between one man and one woman. Marriage provides every child with a mother and father and seeks to foster the optimal, loving and supportive environment for raising children. Loving and stable marriage between a man and a woman provides the best foundation for a strong, healthy, and just society. It is worthy of a voice in the courtroom.