Coming up Wednesday
Adopted boy writes letter to Chief Justice Roberts urging support of same sex marriage
Daniel Leffew is a very passionate 12-year-old who wrote a letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts urging him to support same sex marriage. Daniel and his father Bryan are on "Starting Point" to talk to John Berman and Christine Romans about how deeply this issue effects their family.
Daniel and his 8-year-old sister Salina were adopted by their two gay dads when Daniel was 5-years-old. When he heard that Chief Justice John Roberts also had two adopted children, he decided to write the letter. Daniel believes that everyone has a different opinion on family, and both he and Justice Roberts “know that no matter if you are blood related, family is people who love and take care of you.”
Daniel suffers from a genetic disorder called Goldenhar syndrome, which affects the whole left side of his body. When he was in foster care he was frequently told he was un-adoptable because of his condition.
Daniel writes this letter a week before the Supreme Court is set to hear the case determining the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act and the constitutionality of Proposition 8 in California. Daniel's family lives in California, and while his dads' marriage was grandfathered and not "annulled when they upheld prop 8” he still hopes that Chief Justice Roberts “makes the right decision and sees our family like any other.”
Will Pope Francis reform Catholic Church's stance on gay marriage? Father Beck, Richard Socarides and Cameron Russell weigh in
Now an intriguing look at the possibility of compromise on same-sex marriage and the Catholic Church.
During Argentina's bitter same-sex marriage fight back in 2010, then Archbishop Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, got into a very public verbal battle with the country's president. He called her gay marriage bill a destructive attack on God's plan. That was publicly. But privately, the stance may have been quite different.
A senior Vatican official said the Roman Catholic Church could neither confirm nor deny the report at this point. The official added that while Pope Francis might have expressed such view while he was a cardinal, he should be given time to develop policy position as pontiff.
This morning on "Starting Point," CNN contributor Father Edward Beck, NewYorker.com writer Richard Socarides and model Cameron Russell discuss Pope Francis's past positions on the issue of same sex marriage, and whether reform will come to the Catholic Church.
Transcript available after the jump.
SBC incoming president Rev. Fred Luter Jr. says he disagrees with President Obama on gay marriage, says marriage is between a man and a woman
Today marks an historic day for the Southern Baptist Convention. The country's largest Protestant body has elected Reverend Fred Luter Jr., it's first African-American president. His election comes 160 years after the SBC was founded as a pro-slavery church and 17 years after its leaders apologized for the denomination's support of white supremecist and segregationist policies. Rev. Luter officially becomes the president this evening.
This morning on "Starting Point," Rev. Luter talks with Soledad about the significance of his election, and talks about putting the church's past behind and looking to the future. He also addresses the question of gay marriage, saying that though the church loves everybody, including those in the gay community, he stands by the definition of marriage as being with one man and one woman.
See more from the interview below.
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