The very idea that a religion would have deeply held beliefs and tenets, and that its members and affiliated groups would actually act on those beliefs is, well, shocking.
The histrionics that permanently characterize Washington D.C. politics are on display again as the D.C. Council imposed its Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009 on its residents without submitting it to a popular vote. This effort was championed (surprise) by David Catania, one of the two openly gay members of the legislature. Proponents of this measure are all in a huff that Catholic archdiocese leaders found that there are not enough exemptions to this social engineering law for them to practice their religion.
As usual, the aggressors blame the victim and the progressive media has predictably piled on. (We would remind our readers that progressive refers to an attitude in time, rather than a transcendent truth.)
However, there are voices of reason. Jonetta Rose Barras writes a column in the Washington Examiner where she says that the church should keep the faith by choosing God over Government.
Far from being demanding or threatening, the Archdiocese of Washington is simply reacting to the actions of the DC Council. The Church leaders are saying that if you force them to act against their consciences, they simply won't provide those services for the City.[Washington Examiner] Threat. Demand. Blackmail. Childish. Ultimatum. Those were a few of the words used last week in the media and elsewhere to describe the Archdiocese of Washington's stated intention of ending its contractual relationship with the city, if the D.C. Council doesn't amend its homosexual marriage legislation to provide additional protections to religious organizations.
Currently, the archdiocese, through its social services arm, Catholic Charities, cares for about 68,000 people in the District. Its counseling, homeless shelter and adoption programs are funded with a combination of about $20 million in government contracts and about $10 million of its own money. Those services are now in jeopardy.
Church leaders took heat last week as they made it clear they would not abandon fundamental tenets of their religious doctrine, which among other things asserts that homosexual relations is a sin. They have said they cannot provide certain services, including employee benefits, to gay couples. Those declarations came after a legislative committee approved the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009.
Faced with a choice between God and government, not surprisingly the archdiocese and Catholic Charities chose God.
Although some might applaud the Church's exit from the social services scene, the real losers are the 68,000 Washingtonians who benefit from Catholic Charities' counseling, adoption, and homeless programs to which it contributes its own $10 million.
The Church will continue to care for the poor and disadvantaged in DC as far as allowed by law, but it doesn't have to do it for the city.
4 comments:
Isn't a short term loss worth a long term gain? Better to stick to church teachings than to lend legitimacy to mortal sin.
DC constituents should demand that their council find a way to work this out. Smart politicians would find a way to have their "civil marriage equality" and still manage to keep the services of a great charitable organization like Catholic Charities that provides much needed services to many of its residents. Exempt religious organizations from the requirement to provide benefits to gay couples. There. Problem solved! ;)
I'm glad to see the Church standing up (finally!) but I'm a little unsure of the facts. Does the DC legislation impinge on the archdiocese's religious freedom specifically in helping the poor in those contracts or is the archdiocese using its leverage with the contracts as a way to influence/ prevent immoral legislation which would affect the Church's religious freedom in other ways? If it's the former, I say, good for them, end the contract and just do the work out of the Church basements. If it's the latter, I'd be inclined to say that the archdiocese is using the poor as a weapon and potentially depriving those who need the Church's help over a political battle (albeit a legitimate one).
Mike, the way I understand it is the current law only exempts the Church from performing the ceremony itself, but in every other way impinges on the religious freedom of the Church and its religious organizations and individuals.
So, for example, if Catholic Charities doesn't provide same-sex benefits or services then it can be sued out of existence.
See Catholic.org for a fuller explanation.
"“Every year, Catholic Charities provides shelter, food, counseling, medical and legal assistance, and more to 68,000 people in the District of Columbia regardless of their faith,” explained Ed Orzechowski, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. “If the Council passes this bill as written, these programs are at risk along with nearly 100 different parish social ministry programs, all of the other ministries operated by the Catholic Church and even meeting space for groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Scouts and neighborhood organizations who partner with churches.”
The lack of an adequate exemption, the archdiocese said, would require religious organizations and individuals to choose “between exercising their faith and following the law.”
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