NEWS Marriage is exclusively for heterosexuals: South African Catholics August 14, 2003 DURBAN - The Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference on Wednesday reaffirmed that their doctrine only allowed for one man to marry one woman and that homosexual marriages were detrimental to society. "Marriage is a faithful, exclusive, and permanent union between one man and one woman, joined as husband and wife in an intimate partnership of life and love," the senior clergymen said in a statement after a meeting at Mariannhill outside Durban. "By reason of its very nature, marriage exists for the mutual love and support of the spouses and for the procreation and education of children." The bishops, who in terms of Catholic church law may not marry and who are expected to live celibate lives, added that the "institution of marriage has a very important relationship to the continuation of the human race, to the total development of the human person, and to the dignity, stability, peace, and prosperity of the family and of society". The bishops made it clear that the institution of marriage, as the union of one man and one woman, had to be preserved, protected and promoted in both private and public. "At a time when family life is under significant stress, the principled defence of marriage is an urgent necessity for the wellbeing of children and families, and for the common good of society. Society owes its continued survival to the family. If same-sex unions were to be legalised, the concept of marriage would be shattered, to the detriment of the common good," they warned. "By putting homosexual unions on a legal plane equal to that of marriage and the family, the state acts against and in contradiction to its duties. For the state to grant legal standing to homosexual unions is for it to fail in its primary duty to promote and defend marriage as an institution essential to the common good." Freedom of choice was only good as long as the common good was respected and protected, the bishops cautioned. The statement came at a time that the worldwide Anglican communion was teetering on the edge of a split over the election of a gay bishop in the United States and ongoing efforts in South Africa to win recognition for same-sex marriages. -Sapa Related stories Ugandan Anglicans caution US on gay bishop Malawi Anglican bishop threatens rift over gay bishop US parish welcomes newly elected gay bishop's return While Episcopalians argue, South African Anglicans celebrate priest's birthday Episcopal church confirms first openly gay US bishop Asian religious leaders condemn appointment of gay bishop Cape Town archbishop calls for dialogue on gay bishop