A group of American priests has given its backing to the British clergy who wrote to the Catholic Herald last month in support of Church teaching on marriage. Following the letter from 500 clergy in England and Wales , which was issued in advance of the Synod of Bishop taking place later this year, a group of American clergy has now added their support, as first reported by the Church Militant website. In a letter, addressed to the Synod Fathers and published on the Credo Priests website, they state: “In union with our brother priests in England and Wales (conforming to the teachings summarised in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1650-51), we make our own the petition they signed urging the Synod Fathers in the upcoming Synod to stand firm on the Church’s traditional understanding of marriage, human sexuality and pastoral practices. “Following the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2014 much confusion has arisen concerning Catholic moral teaching. In this situation we wish, as Catholic priests, to re-state our unwavering fidelity to the traditional doctrines regarding marriage and the true meaning of human sexuality, founded on the Word of God and taught by the Church’s Magisterium for two millennia. Five hundred priests have signed the letter, with signatories including Fr Joseph Fessio, founder of Ignatius Press, the writer Mgr Charles Pope and blogger Fr John Zuhlsdorf. The letter continues: “We commit ourselves anew to the task of presenting this teaching in all its fullness, while reaching out with the Lord’s compassion to those struggling to respond to the demands and challenges of the Gospel in an increasingly secular society. Furthermore we affirm the importance of upholding the Church’s traditional discipline regarding the reception of the sacraments, and the millennial conviction that doctrine and practice remain firmly and inseparably in harmony. “We urge all those who will participate in the second Synod in October 2015 to make a clear and firm proclamation of the Church’s unchanging moral teaching, so that confusion may be removed, and faith confirmed.”