In the U.S. Supreme Court case, Obergefell v. Hodges, the opinion of the five-member majority creates the legal right of two persons of the same gender to marry one another. At the same time, the opinion states, “[I]t must be emphasized that religions, and those who adhere to religious doctrines, may continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction that, by divine precepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned.”

On Thursday, July 2, the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops issued its response to the U.S. Supreme Court's June 26 decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

LAKE CHARLES – A Mass of Thanksgiving, for his 40 years of priestly ministry, was celebrated by Bishop Glen John Provost on Monday, June 29, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

LAKE CHARLES – The Most Reverend Glen John Provost ordained Reverend Jay Alexius and Reverend Ruben Villarreal to the priesthood for the Diocese of Lake Charles on Saturday, June 27, during Mass in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.



I, The Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles, hereby announce the assignments for the ordinands for the Year Two Thousand and Fifteen for the Diocese of Lake Charles, Louisiana.

On the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of same-sex marriage
  
The ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court is irreconcilable with the natural law and with Divine Revelation.   This decision completely ignores the accumulated wisdom of centuries of inherited human experience regarding marriage.    All of this heritage the Catholic Church has maintained, promoted, and sustained for the benefit of civilization and the continuation of the human race.   This the U. S. Supreme Court has ignored and discarded.       

Some may view this decision as logically proceeding from some sort of enlightened development of contemporary consciousness.  This way of thinking is misguided and incongruous with the will of God.  The judgment of the U.S. Supreme Court will have detrimental consequences for our civilization and thus to the family and in the future to the free exercise of religion in this country.