Cardinal George on chicken conflict

Chicago Cardinal Francis George stepped into the chicken coop of controversy surrounding the plans of the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A to open its second store in the city.

George was responding to Mayor Rahm Emanuel's statement that the values of the chain "are not Chicago values." The chain's CEO recently announced his firm opposition to same-sex marriage, and a Chicago alderman declared that he will block the chain's efforts to open a second store in the city.

In his blog on the archdiocesan website Sunday, George said, "Recent comments by those who administer our city seem to assume that the city government can decide for everyone what are the 'values' that must be held by citizens of Chicago. I was born and raised here, and my understanding of being a Chicagoan never included submitting my value system to the government for approval. Must those whose personal values do not conform to those of the government of the day move from the city? Is the City Council going to set up a 'Council Committee on Un-Chicagoan Activities' and call those of us who are suspect to appear before it?"

George then argued at length in favor of heterosexual unions as the only acceptable option for reasonable people: "People who are not Christian or religious at all take for granted that marriage is the union of a man and a woman for the sake of family and, of its nature, for life. The laws of civilizations much older than ours assume this understanding of marriage. This is also what religious leaders of almost all faiths have taught throughout the ages." The cardinal's entry into the discussion has served to generate a series of heated responses from all sides.

Read George's entire blog by clicking here.