There was so much more to Bishop Cupich’s letter to diocesan members than Jim Camden included in his article (“Spokane bishop urges ‘no’ on R-74,” Aug. 7).

Important points the bishop made that were not included are that: “…men and women are not the same … are not interchangeable. In a marriage union, a mutual sharing of each other’s difference creates life, but it also nourishes that life in a family where sons and daughters learn about gender from the way it is lived by their mothers and fathers. The decision to unhinge marriage from its original grounding in our biological life should not be taken lightly for there are some things enacted law is not capable of changing.”

The bishop also mentions that Canada now designates “Parent 1” and “Parent 2” and Spain lists “Progenitor A” and “Progenitor B” on birth certificates. “But, words matter, especially words like mother and father…. We lose a great deal when they are substituted … they fail to convey what fathers and mothers each bring as male and female to the critical task of generating, rearing and educating their sons and daughters.”

Additional information and the letter from the bishop in its entirety are available at the diocesan website: www.dioceseofspokane.org.>

Janet Singleterry

Spokane