The intolerant Cardinal

Today in the Scotsman Joyce McMillan treated us to yet another pop at the Cardinal for one of his "outspoken" and "controversial" viewpoints, meaning by that a view that was commonly held by the majority until the beginning of the 20th century at least, if not even into the 21st.
Her article presents the false dichotomy supposedly faced by the Scottish government on the issue of gay marriage. On the one hand, there is the "traditional patriarchy", which "requires the ostracisation of homosexuals" and on the other there is "morality", which "requires equal treatment and respect for all in society". The Catholic can certainly agree with the requirement for equal treatment and respect for all in society, but I would disagree with the idea that homosexuals should be ostracised. Let's look at the Catechism passage oft ignored by the media except to distort its meaning:

CCC 2358 "This inclination [of deep-seated homosexual tendencies], which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard is to be avoided."

No ostracisation mentioned there.  Yet by representing the Cardinal's statements and the Church's viewpoint as one based on antiquated homophobia, McMillan succeeds in portraying the viewpoint as unjust rather than one based on the sound principles on which marriage is truly based. This makes it difficult for the Church to fully engage in the debate as her statements are considered irrational before the reasons are even heard and the discussion is reduced to the emotions of those who feel excluded, regardless of whether that exclusion is proven to be just. It is at this point that I'd like to share an important article stating secular arguments for traditional marriage. The mere fact that the article is quite long demonstrates the complex nature of the debate and the need for a comprehensive treatment of any objections which may be raised, such as whether the link between traditional marriage and children undermines the marriages of those who are infertile, for example. This article explains why this is not the case.
Finally, I'm glad we have such an "outspoken" Cardinal as it means as Catholics we can't sit on the fence. We're either on his side or not (whether or not you agree with some of the language he uses - I know Catholics who agree with him but disagree on the way he expresses himself); we're either on the side of the Church (and of true compassion and love for homosexual persons), or not.