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Catholics for a Free Choice, December
2, 2004
World Religious Leaders Observe Tenth Anniversary of International Year of the Family Call on the world’s leaders to support human rights and promote policies that improve the well-being of all members of the human family
WASHINGTON, DC—In recognition of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family, more than 150 religious leaders representing Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions from 35 countries signed on to a statement celebrating the family and calling for widest possible protection and assistance for all kinds of families.
A diverse group of prominent theologians, scholars, activists, priests, nuns, rabbis, pastors and ministers from every region of the world issued the joint statement to “celebrate and support the family in its various forms” for the United Nation’s observance of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family on December 6, 2004.
“For each of us our family is a precious source of learning about justice and relationships. At the heart of justice is the respect for the rights and dignity of every member of the family,” said Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for a Free Choice, the coordinator of the statement. “As people of faith, we understand that individual civil and legal rights are a fundamental staple in the promotion of healthy families. The recognition of individual rights has contributed to respect for each member of the family regardless of gender or age and enabled families to structure themselves in creative and dynamic ways that meet their own unique circumstances and needs.”
Ulla Sandbaek of Denmark, a Lutheran minister and former member of the European Parliament, reiterated the message’s emphasis on women’s equality as critical to families: “Equality between women and men and respect for the human rights of all are essential to the well-being of the family and of society at large.”
The statement calls on governments to: Develop policies and laws that better support the family, taking
into account the plurality of forms and the growing number of single-parent
households;
In the statement, religious leaders also encourage their colleagues of all faiths and persuasions to recognize and offer moral support for families in their diversity of composition, structure and roles.
“Justice within families remains a high priority for me as a person of faith,” said Rabbi Steven B. Jacobs of Temple Kol Tikvah in Woodland Hills, California. “Some religious families embrace a structure that, while loving, allows and encourages men to assume a dominant, superior role. This does not guarantee intra-family justice. We need to embrace family models that go beyond the traditional male, female, children arrangement and continually work toward encouraging and supporting justice within all families.”
“As people of faith and compassion, we are called not to inflate or degrade the notion and importance of family, but to embrace the diversity and complexity of our most intimate relationships with mercy and gratitude and with justice” said Farid Esack, a Muslim scholar from South Africa and professor of religion and ethics at Xavier University in Ohio.
“Families play an important and fundamental function in all societies,” said Maria Jose Rosado Nunes, professor of sociology of religion at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo and director of Catholics for the Right to Decide in Brazil. “Families, be they nuclear or extended, headed by mothers and fathers, same-sex couples or single-parents, consisting of couples without children or those overflowing with children, contribute qualities of enormous value to the communities they live in. We applaud the efforts of caring adults to create diverse family structures that serve to honor and protect especially vulnerable children, foster equal rights for women, men, young persons and children and promote peace and human rights, democracy, sustainable economic development and overall human progress.”
Among the statement’s 150 plus signers are Marsha Atkind, president, National Council of Jewish Women, USA; Rev. Steven Charleston, president and dean, Episcopal Divinity School, USA; Sr. Jeanine Gramick, SL, executive co-director of the National Coalition of American Nuns; Joseph C. Hough, Jr., President of Union Theological Seminary, New York; Paul Lacey, chair of national board of directors, American Friends Service Committee; Sr. Mary John Mananzan, OSB, Institute of Women’s Studies, Philippines; Cedric Mayson, African National Congress, Commission for Religious Affairs, South Africa; Rev. Dr. George Regas, of All Saints Church of Pasadena; and Rev. Carlton Veazey, executive director of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. Full text in English (pdf format) Full text in Spanish (pdf format)
Secretariat: c/o CFFC · 1436 U Street, NW, Suite 301 · Washington, D.C. 20009 · USA Tel: 1 (202) 986-6093 · Fax: 1 (202) 332-7995
Joe Sandillo
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