The Rev. William Graham Speaks on 'The Courts, The Church and Same-Sex Marriage' at Upcoming Faculty Colloquium

Rev. William Graham

The Rev. William Graham, Ph.D., director of the Braegelman Program in Catholic Studies and a Catholic priest, will discuss "The Courts, the Church and Same-Sex Marriage" at 3:40 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, in room 4119 of Tower Hall on campus. Admission is free and open to the public.

His talk is part of a faculty colloquium monthly lecture series developed by the College's School of Arts and Letters to highlight diverse faculty research projects. The presentation will last one hour and include a 40-minute lecture followed by 20 minutes of questions and answers. Colloquium audiences typically include a mixture of students, faculty and community members.

During his presentation Graham will discuss polarized opinions in America, as they relate to same-sex marriages.

"For example, some assert that same sex marriage is clearly forbidden by God and that this revelation means that all homosexual people must lead lives that are both celibate and chaste or they have no hope of seeing the face of God," notes Graham. "They insist that civil law enshrine this view. Conversely, their opponents suggest that nature reveals that any two persons who profess their love and devotion one to another surely share in marriage without consideration of gender. They too insist that civil law enshrine this view. Where is the middle here?

"Dueling laws and contradictory amendments to state constitutions do not reveal the truth or settle conflicted souls. Suggesting that religions may choose one path and the state another avoids the real issue."

Graham will conclude that the only hope for a civilized society and for a Church that seeks to proclaim and live the Gospel will be found when all concerned agree to come together to focus on discovering all of the issues involved before expressing opinions about how to resolve some facet of an issue according to individual interpretations.

For more information contact the Spotlight box office at (218) 723-7000 or spotlight@css.edu. Spotlight.css.edu is the one-stop shop for all St. Scholastica arts and lectures information.