S.F. archbishop defends role in Prop. 8 passage

San Francisco Catholic Archbishop George Niederauer, in his first extensive

explanation about his role in the passage of Proposition 8, on Wednesday

defended the church's actions in the successful ballot initiative.

"Religious leaders in America have the constitutional right to speak out on

issues of public policy," Niederauer wrote in a statement posted on the

archdiocese's Web site. "Catholic bishops, specifically, also have a

responsibility to teach the faith, and our beliefs about marriage and family are

part of this faith."

Niederauer, who has declined interview requests, wrote that "to insist that

citizens be silent about their religious beliefs" would have had a detrimental

effect on history, gagging the voices of important abolitionists and people in

the civil rights movement.