Episcopal bishops oppose gay marriage ban

(09-10) 17:44 PDT, San Francisco, CA (AP)

California's six Episcopal bishops issued a statement Wednesday opposing a November ballot initiative that would again outlaw same-sex marriage in the state.

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The statement says the bishops do not believe that marriage of heterosexuals is threatened by same-sex marriage and that "Jesus calls us to love rather than hate, to give rather than to receive."

The bishops say that while their denomination and even they themselves remain divided on whether Episcopal clergy should officiate same-sex marriages, they are united in the belief that it would be morally wrong for voters to overturn the California Supreme Court ruling that granted gays the right to wed.

The bishop's stand on Proposition 8 corresponds with positions taken by the Union for Reform Judaism and the state's Unitarian Universalist leadership. Leaders of the Roman Catholic and Mormon faiths have endorsed the measure and are lending organizational and financial support to secure its passage.