The Roman Catholic Church expressed "deep sadness" on Thursday over the impending start of gay marriage in Massachusetts as a federal judge rejected a last-ditch bid to block the unions from taking place.
U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro denied a challenge by conservative groups who hope to stop Massachusetts from becoming the first state in the nation where gay couples may legally marry. Hundreds of same-sex couples plan to tie the knot here starting on Monday.
Thousands of same-sex couples were married in a festive few weeks at San Francisco City Hall earlier this year but the marriages were not recognized by the state of California.
In a federal lawsuit filed earlier this week, the groups argued that Massachusetts' top court, the Supreme Judicial Court, overstepped its authority and violated the federal constitution when it issued a landmark ruling last year declaring a state ban on gay marriage unconstitutional.
But Tauro rejected that argument, saying it is the "exclusive function" of the state's highest court to decide issues that arise under the Massachusetts constitution -- issues like the meaning of the word "marriage."
"To rule that through its actions (the court) usurped the power of the Massachusetts legislature and violated the federal Constitution would be to deprive that court of its authority and obligation to consider and resolve, with finality, Massachusetts constitutional issues," Tauro wrote as he denied the plaintiffs' request for an injunction.
Although the plaintiffs said they would appeal, Tauro's ruling pushed gay marriage in Massachusetts one step closer to reality -- something Boston's Catholic archbishop, Sean O'Malley, lamented.
"It is with deep sadness that we will realize this Monday the creation of same-sex marriages here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," O'Malley said in a statement.
"The creation of a right to same-sex marriage in the end will not strengthen the institution of marriage within our society but only weaken it as marriage becomes only one life-style choice among many others."
In what a spokesman said would be O'Malley's only remarks on the matter, the archbishop also urged Catholics not to take out their frustrations against a particular group.
"I remind all Catholics that our sadness at what has happened should not lead us into anger against or vilification of any group of people, especially our homosexual brothers and sisters," O'Malley said. "Our task as Christ's disciples is to build a civilization of love." (additional reporting by Milt Gun)