The Catholic bishops of Belgium have voiced their opposition to the ostensible right of homosexual couples to adopt children. In a statement issued on 31 May (www.catho.be) the bishops express “deep concern” in view of the parliamentary debate that threatens to open the doors to the adoption of children by homosexual couples. “We do not place in doubt says the statement the sincerity of the desire of homosexual couples [to adopt children] and we don’t want to enter into the debate of the psychological consequences that could be caused in children. Our position is born from the concern that this decision would increasingly endorse the view that homosexual union is a mere variant of the heterosexual relationship. To permit the union of two persons of the same sex to be called a marriage is to twist the meaning of words. Legalizing adoption in such a context would only increase the confusion about the gender difference that lies at the very heart of the family”.
