The Catholic Bishops of California this week issued a statement urging Catholics "to provide both the financial support and the volunteer efforts needed for the passage of Proposition 8, the November ballot initiative that would declare only marriage between a man and a woman as valid in the state.

The May 15 decision by the California Supreme Court to effectively legalize same-sex marriage marked a "radical change" in public policy, the bishops stated, which will bring "many profound effects on society:

---"It discounts the biological and organic reality of marriage --- and how deeply it is embedded in our culture, our language and our laws--- and ignores the common understanding of the word marriage."

---"It diminishes the word 'marriage' to mean only a 'partnership' --- a purely adult contractual arrangement for individuals over the age of 18. Children --- if there are any --- are no longer a primary societal rationale for the institution."

"As teachers of faith," the bishops said, "we invite our faithful Catholics to carefully form their consciences. We do that by drawing on the revelation of Scripture, the wisdom of tradition, the experience and insights of holy men and women as well as on what can be known by reason alone."

The bishops pointed to the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1603-04) that proclaims "God himself is the author of marriage," and offered Catholics counsel as they reflect on their course of action.

In particular, the bishops urged Catholics "to recall that marriage mirrors God's relationship with us --- and that marriage completes, enriches and perpetuates humanity. Any other pairing --- while possibly offering security and companionship to the individuals involved --- is not marriage. We must support traditional marriage as the source of our civilization, the foundation of a society that can be home to all human beings, and the reflection of our relationship with God."

Importantly, the bishops reminded Catholics that "we are all children of God possessed of human dignity," that "each of us is created in God's image. Protecting the individual understanding of marriage should not in any way disparage our brothers and sisters, even if they disagree with us."

In encouraging Catholics to work for "a just resolution of this issue, which is so important to the well-being of the human family," the bishops said that to support Proposition 8 "simply affirms the historic, logical and reasonable definition of marriage, and does not remove any benefits from other contractual arrangements."