The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn’t change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care.
Under the bill, headed for a D.C. Council vote next month, religious organizations would not be required to perform or make space available for same-sex weddings. But they would have to obey city laws prohibiting discrimination against gay men and lesbians.
Fearful that they could be forced, among other things, to extend employee benefits to same-sex married couples, church officials said they would have no choice but to abandon their contracts with the city.
“If the city requires this, we can’t do it,” Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said Wednesday. “The city is saying in order to provide social services, you need to be secular. For us, that’s really a problem.”
Several D.C. Council members said the Catholic Church is trying to erode the city’s long-standing laws protecting gay men and lesbians from discrimination.
In separate interviews Wednesday, council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) referred to the church as “somewhat childish.” Another council member, David A. Catania (I-At Large), said he would rather end the city’s relationship with the church than give in to its demands.
I think that the Catholic Church has forgotten its origins. Regardless of what we do or who we are, we are all supposed to be loved by God according to the Bible. And I’m quite sure that Jesus didn’t preach blackmail or letting needy people go without just to discriminate against a group of people. Maybe the Catholic Church has been around for too long now, because the message seems to have gotten lost.
Yet another example of horriffic bigotry and intollerance in the name of a supposedly loving and caring organisation. So much for judge not lest ye be judged. This is bullying, plain and simple.
Yeah, no wonder he’s facepalming in that photo….
Right or wrong… surely they have to stand by what they believe, practise and preach… or fold…
One day we’ll find all this (hatred, cruelty, blackmail etc) embarrasing won’t we?
Just backing up what Hitchens and Fry said! That video is now up on line. Would loved to have been there http://bit.ly/1a1SoZ
This is one of the many reasons why I hate the Catholic church. That they would abandon needy people out of spite for those they don’t like. I’m sure they’d cut off their noses just to spite their faces if would help them discriminate.
If McDonalds or Microsoft pulled this crap they’d be pulled into court, but the Catholics get to prance away in their dresses (satiristic irony, anyone?) and everyone goes “oh well, that’s fair.”
There’s nothing like blackmail through power to warm you to a “religion”, is there? I hope their dismal, disgraceful shoot behavoiur shoots them in their self-righteous feet!
This is stupid, we are all human beings regardless of sexual preference, religion ect… Nobody deserves to be discriminated in this way. I was really moved when Fry said how this biggotry affected him growing up on the intelligence squared debate.
Surely even in the eyes of the church gay marrage has to be better than no marrage at all.
Good, no reason for the church to promote and agree with something thats wrong on so many levels
I went to a Catholic high school. Its actually ridiculous how religion is somehow acceptably allowed to segregate people. At our school if you wanted to go there and you were not catholic you had to pay, and pay for your travel there, whilst catholics got all this free. What on earth happened to acceptance and diversity. I must point out now that I am disgusted with the way the church are handling these things, much to probably why I am leaning to the atheist view these days, especially with the fact that quite alot of my friends are from the gay community.
this is a case of standing for what u believe in . the church has always made its stand known on such issues . so it has the reserved right to spend its money on whatever it feels that will promote its cause.
This sort of thing upsets me. It really makes me ashamed to be part of the human race because when you look at the bigger picture, it seems ridiculous, It’s out and out discrimination and if they were saying something like this but racist, there’d be way more uproar than there is for this issue. More people need to stand up against this, at least the people on this blog restore my faith that there are some good people who think about what they say and believe before they segregate people.
Who governs Washington state, the local government or the church? Don’t let the church bully you Washington!
And the Catholic Church is trying to revamp its image to improve its numbers… smooth…
I’m pretty sure that is definitely what Jesus would do.
Wow nothing like a bit of religious bullying to give you that nice warm fuzzy feel. To the officials at the Catholic church, grow up and stop acting like the kid who’s gunna take his ball in if he cant get his own way!!!!
What happened to ‘Do onto others as you would have them do onto you – don’t do to other what you would not like them to do to you’? Look into your heart, what is it that causes you pain, realize that what you are doing is causing the same pain to others, chose not to inflict pain, be compassionate – for God’s sake.
“I think that the Catholic Church has forgotten its origins. Regardless of what we do or who we are, we are all supposed to be loved by God according to the Bible. And I’m quite sure that Jesus didn’t preach blackmail or letting needy people go without just to discriminate against a group of people. Maybe the Catholic Church has been around for too long now, because the message seems to have gotten lost.”
Jesus PROBABLY didn’t but I am sure Paul did somewhere… I wonder what that guys favorite number was…
I wish they would pack up and leave wherever their priests and brothers have abused children.
I wish they would all just go away. I cannot understand why thinking people can’t see past this religion thing. Just don’t get married in a church and then you won’t have to deal with these biggoted, sex-starved, relationship-starved, out-of-touch numpties.
i just can’t believe they’re allowed to insist! think of the chance they have to make such a great impact for good if they chose to, given the blind following they have.
Hmmm,
St. Paul… there’s an interesting fellow.
I wonder what he (and the others) would have said about all this.
I’m fairly sure he was more about ‘Divine Law’. As opposed to the somewhat over-zealous and over-baring general laws and rules built up, by man, around many seperating religions and beliefs. However, I could be wrong, I never knew him personally (and I don’t really know everything/anything).
(Continued… (Saves the spam filter eating my post) …)
…
I’ve already stated before that I think that LOVE IS LOVE.
It surely can not be considered an unforgivable sin when it’s love between two people of the same sex?
Especially not when you will (in your self-given right) freely grant rapists and killers passage into the kingdom of heaven, just for saying ‘sorry’ about causing so much incurable pain and suffering to many innocent lives.
*Sigh*
What happened to religion being about FAITH?
Did that wholey MAIN point of fact get lost somewhere in the attempts to build up a massive system of controlling many of the religious followers, through fear and ‘laws’ dictated by man?
Hmmm.
Pax, amor et concordia.
x
Glad I’m a Protestant not a Catholic, we’re much more accepting
If a Cola company were to only make Cola so long as certain rules are met – then if the rules are broken, no one would complain that the Cola company is being harsh if they withdraw the cola.
If the City were comfortable accepting the rules of the free service of the Catholic church prior to this situation – in full knowledge of the church’s “rules” for providing this service – then, from an objective basis – it hardly seems fair to blame the church for the change in service.
Its a simple agreement – you get A so long as B is true. If this were an issue before – it should have been raised and challenged long before it even became an issue where people were affected.
Its a bit late now.
Looks like blackmail to me.
It’s curious though – we could feed the hungry and shelter the homeless just like Jesus said we should, but we aint gonna bother if you pass laws we dislike – and especially if you expect us to follow the laws too.
The RCC is not alone in this by any means: the Bush administration removed aid from any third world charity that mentioned condoms… with predictable results for HIV+.
Reminds me of a bit of satire from The Onion News Network about Aid to Non-Gay Africans….
What ever happened to Imago Dei? From the Christian point of view as I understand it, we are all images of god and thus treating another human well is the best way to show one’s love of god. I am not a Christian. In fact I am a non-believer. However, I think that all christians would do well to look at some of the more compassionate parts of the Biblical Christ’s (I specifically do not reference the Historical Christ as we know next to nothing about him) teachings pertaining to ‘Whatsoever you do to the least among you, you have done to me.” Simple concept… Imago Dei.
The local archdiocese provides $10 million dollars a year towards the Washington DC charity services it provides. It wants exemption from having to assist in gay couple adoptions, renting church property for e.g. same sex wedding receptions as well as a provision that it would not be required to recognise same-sex ‘marriages’ entered into by its workforce for purposes of employee benefits. Taking into account the Church’s 2,000 year old and sincerely held position on this matter, it doesn’t seem that they are making unreasonable demands. Can’t the liberals be a little more tolerant themselves? The Orthodox, many protestant and Muslim charities would find themselves in the same situation. If the poor of Washington lose an input of $10 million, it won’t be the liberal politicians that suffer.