“On some key issues facing Americans today - the nature of marriage and family and the sanctity of human life, among others - Catholics and Mormons have the same concerns and similar values rooted in our belief of a loving God,...It makes sense to work together and support each other whenever we can, and the Catholics warmly welcome that.” Archbishop Chaput

DENVER (CNA) - While acknowledging extreme religious differences, two church leaders stood together to defend traditional marriage and emphasize the importance of family life.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver distributes Communion during the Tekakwitha Conference Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington June 30. The archbishop, whose ancestry is Potawatomi, joined more than 700 Catholics of American Indian ancestry for the service. (CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)

The Denver Post reports that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Colorado presented its 2007 Family Values Award to Archbishop Charles Chaput of the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver on Tuesday night.

LDS Elder Steven E. Snow, said Chaput was “a voice of courage, for whom we are grateful.”

“On some key issues facing Americans today - the nature of marriage and family and the sanctity of human life, among others - Catholics and Mormons have the same concerns and similar values rooted in our belief of a loving God,” Chaput said. “It makes sense to work together and support each other whenever we can, and the Catholics warmly welcome that.”

The Colorado Family Values Awards recognize those who are “striving to advance standards and values that are consistent with the church’s position on the family,” according to LDS literature.

“The sincerity of the LDS commitment to family life makes this award especially meaningful,” Chaput said.

Chaput noted that Mormons and Catholics could recognize their differences while sharing genuine respect and friendship. If different faiths worked together, Christian views on the family would be more difficult to push aside, he said.

“Religion is constantly under pressure today from critics who portray it as dangerous and divisive and seek to push it out of American public life,” Chaput said. “Different religious communities working together are even more effective in defending their common beliefs.”