“The Catholic Church is simply advocating its position on marriage.”
Thousands of people have signed a petition condemning an anti-marriage equality booklet being distributed in Australian Catholic schools.
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
In a media release, ACBA said marriage equality would make marriage about "intensity of emotion" rather than "a union founded on sexual complementarity and potential fertility".
"Their physical, spiritual, psychological and sexual differences show [men and women] are meant for each other, their union makes them whole, and through their union 'in one flesh' they together beget children who are 'flesh of their flesh'," the booklet reads.
"They share the sameness of humanity but enjoy the difference of their masculinity and femininity, being husband and wife, paternity and maternity."
While it is unknown how many schools across Australia have distributed the booklet, at least 56 schools in the Canberra-Goulburn area, along with others in Melbourne and the Northern Territory, have given it out.
"The pastoral letter on same-sex marriage was distributed to each Catholic bishop across Australia," an ACBA spokeswoman told BuzzFeed News.
"It is at the discretion of each bishop as to what extent the pastoral letter is distributed within their local diocese."
The petition, created by 16-year-old student Georgia Simpson, describes Don't Mess With Marriage as "anti-LGBT propaganda" and urges its removal from schools.
Via change.org
"Please remove the ignorant and anti-gay propaganda from circulation in Australian schools regarding same-sex marriage," Simpson wrote.
"The messages contained in the Don't Mess With Marriage booklet are humiliating and degrading."
Simpson also wrote that the booklet "enforces damaging traditional gender roles through the concepts of masculinity and femininity".
On Monday, Simpson's petition had over 8,000 signatures.
ACBA denied the contents of the booklet are degrading to LGBTI people, saying they believe "every human being has great dignity".
"People with same-sex attraction must be treated with respect, sensitivity and love in the same way as every human being," the spokeswoman said.
However, ACBA don't believe marriage equality is necessary for LGBTI people and their relationships to be treated with respect.
"Surely there are other ways of honouring the friendships of same-sex attracted and other people without further deconstructing marriage and the family," said ACBA Chair Archbishop Anthony Fisher.
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