Over at Vatican Insider, Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Belgium states that opening civil marriage to same-sex couples is a positive development, even though he wants a different word to differentiate it from traditional marriage.
How different would the perception of the Catholic church on this issue be here in the States if more bishops were willing to concede the fact that most gay men and women who want to get married are not seeking to destroy traditional marriage but are trying to secure the stability and the rights that come with it? As in the issue of religious liberty, it is time for the "sanity caucus" at the USCCB to find its voice and not leave this issue to the zelanti.