The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey,
has hit out in opposition of gay marriage today.
The 76 year-old, who preceded Rowan Williams,
launched the attack in the Daily Mail as a public defense for the
Coalition for Marriage organisation.
They want to preserve weddings for opposite-sex
couples.
In an article for the newspaper, Lord Carey - who says he is
baffled by David Cameron's support of gay marriage - claimed the
proposal to change the status of marriage "constitutes one of the
greatest political power grabs in history".
He was speaking specifically about Cameron's political party
conference speech, last year, in which he said: "I once stood
before a Conservative conference and said it shouldn't matter
whether commitment was between a man and a woman, a woman and a
woman, or a man and another man.
"You applauded me for that. Five years on, we're consulting on
legalising gay marriage. And to anyone who has reservations, I say:
Yes, it's about equality, but it's also about something else:
commitment. Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us; that
society is stronger when we make vows to each other and support
each other.
"So I don't support gay marriage despite being a Conservative. I
support gay marriage because I'm a Conservative."
In response, Lord Carey said: "Like many others, I was baffled
by this statement. Not because I begrudge rights and benefits to
homosexual couples."
He went on: "The state does not 'own' the institution of
marriage. Nor does the church. The honourable estate of matrimony
precedes both the state and the church, and neither of these
institutions have the right to redefine it in such a fundamental
way."
However, according to Yahoo news, human rights campaigner Peter
Tatchell said claimed Carey's comments are out-dated.
"The Coalition for Marriage is intolerant and out of touch. Its
support for the ban on gay marriage is homophobic and
discrimination," he said.
"Coalition members are entitled to believe that same-sex
marriages are wrong, but they are not entitled to demand that their
opposition to such marriages should be imposed on the rest of
society and enforced by law."
Photo from Wikipedia courtesy of Trinidad-News.com
