Cardinal Raymond Burke, the former Archbishop of St. Louis who now serves as head of the Apostolic Signatura, denounced the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) calling it “one more step down a path which is destructive.”

In an interview with Newsmax, Cardinal Burke said that the Supreme Court’s decision on DOMA reveals a “lack of respect for the good order which God has placed in nature, especially human nature,” saying that it will lead to violence.

“It will lead to death for individuals and eventually it will destroy our culture.”

Referring to the 5-4 decision rendered on June 26 by the nation’s highest court, Burke said the time has come for God-fearing citizens in the U.S. to “reawaken and insist on the respect for human life, and also for the integrity of the marital union.”

“Marriage and the family are the first cell of the whole life of society,” he said, adding that this is not just a Catholic issue. “The Catholic Church teaches the moral law, but this has to do with the moral law written on every human heart.”

The Church in the U.S. must teach more effectively, he said, “and also encourage her members to be active in politics, in education and every aspect of society to promote a sound understanding of marriage and the family.”

Christians are rising to the challenge in other countries, he pointed out in a speech in Rome last Friday to the Dignitatis Humanae Institute. He cited large protests seen in the streets of Paris, Ireland and Brazil in the past year.

“We cannot permit such attacks to continue,” he said. “The family shapes society, and by advocating for and promoting strong, traditional family life, we will continue to replace the culture of death with the culture of life and love for which God calls us to work.”

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