Sadly the letter in spite of many good points is dreadfully weak. For example, nowhere does the word “Sodomy” appear. A true Catholic will not give those who are publicly proud of their grave sin any comfort. For example, the author states:
“We all know and love people with same-sex attraction. They are our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, friends and neighbours. They need love and support like anyone else.”
If you are bothering at all to mention the sinners’ life of perversion then it needs to be highlighted at that time that they are in a state of perversion and in a state of grave sin. I would not waste the space to say, (for sake of comparison):
“We all know and love people with ATTRACTION TO MURDER OTHERS. They are our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, friends and neighbours. They need love and support like anyone else.”
Such gentle speech is not fitting but it is in this context that warnings of punishment and God’s displeasure are demanded. So it is with the Sodomite.
To speak harshly with the sinner is not hate speech. It is tough love.
Thus the author never should have used the words “Same sex marriage” either, as those who are waging war on God’s people win when we use their language, even when, as the author did here, your explain that you don’t agree that it is a real word. He could have used a description such as “Perverted State-Sanctioned Sodomy unions” to greater effect.
To state that all kinds of sinners, including murderers and homosexuals need and ought to receive love and support (presumably, the authors do not mean “supporting their sexual practices”), — is to state basic Christian teaching, at least from the Catholic understanding of it.
They do say “we do not consider that same-sex relationships can ever amount to marriage”.