[Episcopal News Service] Diocese of Newark Bishop Mark Beckwith recently told readers of the Newark, New Jersey, Star-Ledger newspaper that society needs to “move beyond arguments about unfounded threats to the flourishing of families and focus our attention on the real threats, such as the rising tide of unemployment of poverty.”

His comments came in response to a Sept. 25 pastoral letter by Roman Catholic Archbishop of Newark John Meyers in which the archbishop urged the 1 million members of his northern New Jersey flock to vote next month “in defense of marriage and life.” He also said that those Roman Catholics who do not support their church’s teaching on marriage ought to refrain from taking Holy Communion.

Beckwith said that in his experience during 33 years of ordained life the act of blessing and supporting “relationships that are marked by love, fidelity and commitment — whether they are headed by a man and a women, two women or two men — provide a foundation of social stability that supports all families. Marginalizing people has never been a pathway to community stability.”

The text of Beckwith’s blog post on the newspaper’s website is here.