Sentence:  The grounds for the Church 's position <WSD>are</WSD> Scriptural ( Old Testament ) , the teachings of the fathers and doctors of the early Church , the unbroken tradition of nineteen centuries , the decisions of the highest ecclesiastical authority and the natural law . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)