Resolution on the Defense of Marriage Adopted by the 123rd Supreme Council Meeting on Aug. 4, 2005.

WHEREAS, the institution of marriage has been properly understood throughout human history to consist of one man and one woman united in a bond that is life-long, loving, faithful, committed and exclusive until death; and

WHEREAS, marriage has long been recognized as an essential component of the family which is the foundation of society; and

WHEREAS, marriage is the only social institution which has survived since the dawn of civilization and continues to occupy a critical place in a healthy society; and

WHEREAS, the institution of marriage is now being seriously undermined by the passage of same-sex "marriage" legislation in Canada and by a state supreme court decision in Massachusetts and decisions of lower courts elsewhere in the U.S. that cast doubt on whether the federal Defense of Marriage Act can withstand a constitutional challenge; and

WHEREAS, the Knights of Columbus has been working with the bishops' conferences of both the United States and Canada in opposing these assaults on marriage;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we join with the bishops of the United States in supporting enactment of the Federal Marriage Amendment [Senate Joint Resolution 1] and with the bishops of Canada in their efforts to overturn the actions of the Canadian courts and Parliament establishing same-sex "marriage," and we also express our opposition to "civil union" legislation that would provide same-sex couples with marriage-like status under the law; and

FURTHER RESOLVED, that we join with the bishops of Canada, the United States and all other countries in opposing any effort to redefine marriage to include couples of the same gender and we pledge our active support of these efforts; and

FURTHER RESOLVED, that we will continue our efforts to defend the natural institution of marriage, that being a union of one man and one woman; and

FURTHER RESOLVED, that we will work to educate the societies of each country where the Knights of Columbus exists of the irreplaceable role of marriage in the family and its critical importance to a stable and healthy society.