D.C. Archbishop Wuerl Fears Catholic Marriage Beliefs Seen as Hate Speech

The archbishop of Washington says that while the church is welcoming of everyone, including gay people, he fears the possibility of the church’s position that marriage is only for a man and a woman will be seen as bigotry or hate speech.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, appearing on Fox News Sunday, said the church can be welcoming of gay people who are legally married without recognizing those marriages within the church itself.

“We do that with people who are married, divorced and remarried. We say you are still part of the family, but we can't recognize that second marriage,” he said. “We do that, we've done that -- and it has never been a great problem.

“There has to be room enough in the society as large, as free and as pluralistic as America, to make space for all of us.”

Expect adjustments, Wuerl said, because the world has always understood marriage to be something that happens when a man a woman commit to each other for life. Once that is changed, questions will be generated down the line.

“We're going to have to deal with them one by one as we come to them, and that's why the church keeps saying, make room for everyone's faith.”