Polish Bishop Backs Officials Opposing Homosexual Marriage Registrations

Bishop Andrzej Jeż of Tarnów, the Polish Bishops' Conference delegate for municipal affairs, has backed local officials who oppose the registration of homosex marriages in Polish civil registry records.

“There are higher values that must not be sacrificed for the sake of peace,” Bishop Jeż wrote in a message issued on the occasion of Local Government Day last week.

His statement followed rulings by the Court of Justice of the European Union and Poland's Supreme Administrative Court requiring Poland to recognize a homosex marriage lawfully contracted in Germany. Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński subsequently instructed registry offices throughout the country to implement the court's decision.

Bishop Jeż argued that Poland's Constitution holds “absolute precedence over European and international law” and defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. He added that no external institutions or EU courts have the right to impose a different definition of the family on Poland.

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