Fribourg, Switzerland - Swiss bishops issued a statement against the legal recognition of homosexual couples, calling it "very problematic from the social point of view."
The statement refers to a measure to be submitted to referendum June 5.
Although "all discrimination of homosexuals must be abrogated," the bishops wrote, this recognition must be "clearly avoided," as "it is very problematic from the social point of view."
"It favors, for no apparent reason, one group of people over another, as the model of couples' registration, although with restrictions, is similar to the institution of marriage," they said in their statement issued Friday.
"Homosexual couples do not have the same social function as spouses and the family," they continued. "Spouses and the family ensure the survival of the state, as they give life to a new generation and make it grow. Therefore, they must be supported and favored by the law. …
"The bishops cannot support privileged situations similar to marriage for groups of people that do not have the same function within the state."
For this reason, they added, the proposed referendum is a "false solution to a real problem."