The Catholic Church affirms love, fidelity and commitment in all
relationships, but believes that marriage should be defined as being
between a man and a woman, says the Catholic Bishop of Auckland, Bishop Patrick Dunn.

“To propose any alternative definition would have implications in law,
and in society, but also for education and the family structure which throughout
history has been seen as the fundamental unit in every society.

“The Catholic Church is opposed to the definition of marriage Bill which
has been drawn from the Ballot and would appeal to our lawmakers to keep
marriage as defined as between a man and a woman particularly in light
of the fact that other legal avenues exist for same sex couples to
publicly cement their lifelong commitment to each other,” said Bishop Dunn.