Mario Conti, the Archbishop of Glasgow, wrote in a letter to The
Herald that gay marriage would be pointless, as it would not create
a "natural family".
He also criticized the Scottish Government's 14-week consultation
over whether to allow religious ceremonies for civil partnerships
and the introduction of same sex marriage.
A Scottish Social Attitudes Survey found sixty-one per cent of the
Scottish public support allowing gay couples to wed. The Archbishop
said supporters of this poll are "foolish".
He wrote: "In a proposed consultation regarding the redefinition
of civil partnerships, we are talking not of human rights or of
civil liberties, nor of legal or fiscal equalities, but of
redefining a particular relationship to give it a meaning it
doesn't possess.
"We would use a word which carries huge significance, and render
it meaningless in respect of one of its essential attributes, its
capacity to create a natural family - I mean of course
marriage.
"It hints also at a hubristic mentality on the part of those in
power, who imagine that today they can call something what it was
not yesterday, and tomorrow tell us that black is white."
Scotland, along with the rest of the UK, allows civil partnerships
between same sex couples. However, this does not mean full
marriage equality and campaigners are hoping that Archbishop
Conti's letter will not sway minister's opinions.
