The Wisconsin Catholic Conference offered the following comment on the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court declining review of the recent ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which held that the state’s constitutional provision defining marriage violates the U.S. Constitution:
“As Attorney General Van Hollen has stated, government officials must comply with these court decisions and apply the marriage law consistent with the District Court’s order and the Seventh Circuit’s decision.
As we made clear in commenting on the ruling by the Court of Appeals, no court can change our Catholic teaching on marriage and no one is suggesting that the ruling will have that effect. Catholic churches are under no obligation to solemnize marriages that are inconsistent with our religious teaching.
We also noted then that the challenge facing Catholics remains the same as it has always been, to witness our belief in marriage and what it signifies in a way that invites others to share in our belief. We must do so with a strong and active faith.”
