Church’s words matter

The “against” statement of Bishop Blase Cupich (Sept. 23) implies that approval of Referendum 74 will somehow harm children. He asserts that marriage equality is a “step backward” from the international effort to protect the rights of children. However, many countries around the world permit same-sex couples to form families. There is no indication that children’s rights have been diminished.

He further alleges that children will be harmed because they will not learn gender roles. There is simply no evidence to support this. There is ample evidence that children of same-sex couples do as well as children raised by heterosexual parents.

Cupich, writing as the head of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, ends his argument against Referendum 74 musing about words. He concludes that “words matter.” Yet an organization that demeans the dignity of same-sex relationships as “acts of grave depravity” and “intrinsically disordered” hardly speaks with a human voice about marriage equality.

Indeed, words do matter.

Jim Murphy

Spokane