Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller responds to the City Council passing the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance
The long and often heated debate over the expansion of the city of San Antonio’s Anti-Discrimination ordinance has come to a conclusion with City Council’s vote. We will watch in weeks and months to come to determine if the protection that people of faith sought through this long and emotional process will be defended while attempting to ensure the just treatment of all.
The greatness of our American system of government comes from the combination of the free speech of the people and the responsible leadership of the officials they elect to govern. Its strength does not always come from the times when we all agree, but can arise from a respectful dialogue about our differences with civility and openness. From this summer’s public discourse, which at times strained good will among people seeking the common good, came several messages critical to the values of this nation:
• All people are created equal and should be treated with justice.
• Our religious liberties and right of conscience are freedoms that are
guaranteed constitutionally and must be respected.
• We must always strive to build this nation on a foundation of just laws and right understanding of the human person.
• Dialogue remains the key to closing the distance between people and finding solutions to difficult and even divisive problems.
While the Church does not endorse discrimination against any person, it does reserve its right to distinguish between moral and immoral behaviors in accordance with our moral tradition. People of good will have an obligation to treat all persons with the compassion and justice that their faith traditions dictate. It is theresponsibility of our elected officials to ensure that the boundaries that protect the freedoms of all are not broached by this or any other ordinance.