NY Gov. Paterson claims gay "marriage" the "right way" from a spiritual standpoint

CNA reports:

"While New York's senators debate whether or not to legalize same-sex "marriage" in their state, the seven Catholic bishops of New York have issued a statement strongly opposing "such a drastic measure."

David Paterson, the governor of New York, introduced a measure to legalize same-sex "marriage" on April 16, claiming that it was the "right way" to proceed from a spiritual standpoint."

It's that last point that gets under my skin - what reasons can Patterson give for his personal revelation?

The bishops of NY, meanwhile, led by Abp. Dolan, give argument after argument after argument:

On Monday, all of the Catholic bishops of New York, headed by the newly-installed Archbishop Timothy Dolan, issued a statement on the attempt to legalize same-sex "marriage."

"We face today the prospect of a law in New York which would radically change the timeless institution of marriage. As pastors of citizens from every corner of our great state, we stand unified in our strong opposition to such a drastic measure," the bishops said, urging Catholics to contact their senators.

Beginning with a historical approach, the group of bishops noted that "throughout history ... the one constant has been the conviction that marriage is the union of a man and a woman in an enduring bond, ordered for the procreation and stable rearing of children."

Although Catholic opposition to same-sex "marriage" is frequently cast as solely religion-based, the New York bishops stated that, "Just as importantly, it is based on reason, sound public policy, and plain common sense." They pointed out that "the state has a compelling legal interest in promoting marriage between men and women in order to create stable families and provide for the safety, health and well being of children.

On the other hand, "the state has no such compelling legal interest in recognizing a relationship between two people of the same sex," the prelates said.

Addressing the argument that homosexual couples face discrimination and must be protected by legalizing same-sex "marriage," the New York bishops advised, "If there are injustices against those in relationships other than marriage, those injustices can certainly be reformed and corrected in a way other than by drastically redefining marriage."

Weighing the common-sense arguments of the bishops against Patterson's interior locutions, well, I think it's obvious which side is coming up short. 

Maybe that explains why Patterson attempts to skip into the "spiritual" ... he's not having a very good time of it in the plainly rational.