The Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn has said the world won’t end if Australia legalises same-sex marriage. But Archbishop Christopher Prowse insisted that the nature of society would change profoundly. "Yes, the sun will still rise in the east and set in the west if this [same-sex marriage] comes through, but what sort of society are we moving towards?" he said, according to the Canberra Times. He continued: "Where will traditional marriage, which has served us in such good stead for millennia, stand? Will that be relativised?” Trying to extend meaning to every relationship would take away meaning from all relationships, relativising traditional marriage. "Traditional families are trying their best during very difficult times,” said Archbishop Prowse. “That can't be answered overnight." In the wake of last week’s same-sex marriage referendum in Ireland, the Australian bishops released a pastoral letter called "Don't Mess with Marriage" arguing against a change in the law. The inevitable public debate on same-sex marriage will test Australia’s “national maturity”, said Archbishop Prowse. "If there is a rush to legislate, you suspect that there are other forces at play here; not just the common good." Bishops in Australia have asked for the debate to be driven by the issue at hand instead of what one group or other wants. "Some people say 'rush, we've been talking about this for 10 years'," said Archbishop Prowse. "But it's now reached a certain level of resonance where it is a topic that we can talk about, hopefully in a reasonable way."