The Telegraph is reporting that the letter, one of the biggest joint letters of its kind ever written, expresses the fears of Catholic clergy that the redefinition of marriage in that country will severely restrict their freedom to practice and speak about the faith.
The letter was published in anticipation of the upcoming battle in the UK government to pass laws that will redefine marriage and allow same-sex couples to wed. A combination of equalities laws and the publication of the Equal Marriage Bill, penned by the Coalition for Equal Marriage, at the end of this month, prompted clergy to warn lawmakers and citizens that changing marriage laws will cause a new persecution of the Church and the faithful, the likes of which have not been seen in England since King Henry VIII refused to accept the Church's teaching on divorce.
“Legislation for same sex marriage, should it be enacted, will have many legal consequences, severely restricting the ability of Catholics to teach the truth about marriage in their schools, charitable institutions or places of worship," the letter states.
The letter goes on to say that passage of these laws would severely restrict their ability to practice and preach the faith and dismisses Government reassurances as "meaningless."
“It is meaningless to argue that Catholics and others may still teach their beliefs about marriage in schools and other arenas if they are also expected to uphold the opposite view at the same time," the letter says.
Signed by 1,054 priests as well as 13 bishops, abbots and other senior Catholic figures, the letter was not initiated by the hierarchy of the Church but represents a grass roots effort by clergy. The number of signatures accounts for almost a quarter of all Catholic priests in England and Wales.
As is happening in other parts of the world, passage of these laws leads to all kinds of social confusion such as people being fired from their jobs for not endorsing same-sex marriage; hotels, photographers, even bakers being sued for not providing their services to these couples. In some cases, the names and addresses of traditional marriage supporters has been published, thus making individuals and families the targets of threats and violence.
"Legal opinions commissioned by opponents have argued that teachers could face disciplinary measures under equality laws if they refuse to promote same-sex marriage once the change has been implemented," the Telegraph reports. "Hospital, prison and army chaplains could also face challenges if they preach on marriage being between a man and a woman, it is claimed."
The UK protest is significant because until 1829 Catholics and other religious dissenters in Britain and Ireland suffered daily persecution for their beliefs in the form of being barred from entering many professions and even denied the right to worship in some cases.
“After centuries of persecution, Catholics have, in recent times, been able to be members of the professions and participate fully in the life of this country," the priests write. “We urge Members of Parliament not to be afraid to reject this legislation now that its consequences are more clear.”
Rev Dr Andrew Pinsent, a leading Oxford University theologian, who also signed the letter, told the Telegraph: “We are very sensitive to this historically because of course the reformation started in England as a matter of marriage. Henry VIII could have been forgiven for his adultery but he didn’t want to do that, he wanted to control marriage and redefine what was a marriage and what wasn’t. Because the Church would not concede that point, that launched three centuries of great upheaval in English society, and from the Catholic point of view life was very difficult.
“We fear that what is happening now is that a network of laws are being put in place which would violate our freedom of conscience," he said. “I think people in the Westminster bubble have underestimated the level of concern in the country – at a local level there is great concern about these things.”
The protest letter was published just as an estimated 340,000 people marched in Paris, France to show their opposition to same-sex marriage laws being considered in that country.
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