The Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia, has written to a number of prominent businesses to express concern at their public support for a same-sex marriage campaign in the country.
Following the sponsoring of a full-page advertisement in The Weekend Australian by the corporations, which called on the government to amend the Australian Marriage Act of 1961, the Sydney archdiocese strongly criticised the move and questioned the businesses’ actions in backing the campaign for marriage redefinition.
In a letter penned in the name of Michael Digges, business manager for the Archdiocese of Sydney, corporations are accused of “publicly supporting a strategic, political and well-funded campaign designed to pressure the federal government into changing the Marriage Act. I wonder whether you have questioned whether it is the role of a corporation such as yours to be participating in such an important matter that impacts all of Australian society now and into the future.”
Mr Digges adds: “For corporations to speak on such issues on behalf of shareholders, employees, clients/customers, suppliers and other stakeholders is indeed overstepping their purpose and is to be strongly resisted.”
More than 150 corporations added their brand names to the advertisement, including such well known names as McDonald’s, Qantas and Google.
The Sydney letter comes after a debate on same-sex marriage was ignited by Ireland’s Yes vote in its recent referendum on the issue. It follows an earlier pastoral from the Australian Bishops to all parishes and Catholic schools entitled ‘Don’t Mess With Marriage’.
