Indianapolis Catholic School Will Fire Gay Teacher to Avoid Upsetting the Church

[metis]

There are many gay members of the Catholic Church.

To go along with what you're saying, our choir director for the last 22 years is gay and is not terrible shy about it.

I am sure that some of them became teachers and thought that it would be a good thing it they worked in a Catholic private school.

One of the priests we had was gay, had two ph.d.'s [theology and psychology], but he didn't broadcast it of course.

Pope Francis says to have homosexuals come in for mass, and he has mentioned more than once that they are of God as well. However, not all bishops and priests are on board with him.

 

[Subduction Zone]

So you think imposing your moral beliefs on others is fine. As it goes the CC now allows Gay priests as long as they follow the same rules

One's rights only go so far. A school that hires teachers, secular or not, has limited ability to impose their moral beliefs upon their employees. Do you have an employer? Tell me is it his business what sort of sex you have with your wife (assuming that you are straight, male, and married)?

If the teacher went against their curriculum that could be a firing offense. What takes place in his home away from work is not his employers business, as long as it is legal. In other words do not bring up pedophile (which would be highly ironic) red herrings.

 

[columbus]

You should start by noting that Catholic charity work is extensive and widely considered a crucial part of the nation’s social safety net. By itself, Catholic Charities USA, has more than 2,500 local agencies that serve 10 million people annually, 34 percent of all nonprofit social-service charity.

Tax charity? What a brilliant move

My uncle was head of Catholic Relief Services for two decades. I am aware of all that.
Doesn't change the fact that doing wrong is still doing wrong.
Tom

 

[We Never Know]

"It was just last week when Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis decided it would rather cut its ties with the Catholic Church than fire a teacher in a same-sex marriage. The move was welcomed by people, both in and out of the Catholic Church. It’s about damn time a school under the Catholic umbrella took the compassionate approach; Catholic dogma be damned.

(To be sure, the decision was a little easier only because the school received no money from the Catholic Church itself. It’s sponsored by the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus. All they lost with their decision was a formal affiliation with the Church.)

Now a different high school in the same archdiocese is taking the more cowardly, but totally expected, route.

Cathedral High School said in a letter yesterday that it would “separate” from a gay teacher… which is their way of saying they’re going to follow Catholic dogma no matter how irrational and indefensible it might be.

In the letter, the Catholic school said Archbishop Charles Thompson “made it clear that Cathedral’s continued employment of a teacher in a public, same-sex marriage would result in our forfeiting our Catholic identity.”

Cathedral says a conversation with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis has been ongoing for the last 22 months.
…

In the letter, the school also says that not complying with the guidance of the Archdiocese would have made the school lose its nonprofit status and affiliation with the Brothers of the Holy Cross.​

The letter make it fairly clear that keeping the gay teacher on staff would’ve been a death sentence for the school. Not only would they lose their Catholic status, they would lose their non-profit status as well. Their hands were tied.

Not that you should feel sorry for them. Despite their claim that this was an “agonizing decision,” it’s not like the Catholic Church sprung its bigotry on them at the last second. Anyone who is Catholic — certainly leaders of a school — must realize that affiliation comes with a set of rules that are indefensible. You are signing up to be part of an organization that condemns LGBTQ relationships, rejects the existence of transgender people, would force women to give birth against their will, refuses to dispense birth control even in situations where it would prevent suffering, and more. To pretend like this situation was anything but a foregone conclusion 22 months ago is completely disingenuous.

The school’s leaders had a chance to show compassion despite the costs. Instead, they chose cruelty."
source

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Agree or not with the story, it's a private school and they probably can teach creationism if they choose to.

 

[metis]

That doesn't excuse their immoral, reprehensible, and even illegal activities. If they want tax benefits, they need to play by the same rules we all do. If they still want to have special rules, they can face the full legal consequences they fully deserve.

Well, I guess if we're all going to play by the same rules, then what about you? IOW, blanket condemnations, while ignoring the good, is not the way to go, imo. The Church has taken significant strides to rectify these problems, and the results are rather impressive at this point. However. there's much more to do.

I've been involved with Catholic charitable activities for a long time now, and the amount of work that is done, even just in our local parish, is very impressive. So, why blame even them for the immoral actions of a small minority of the Catholic clergy? Trust me, we as Catholics are disgusted by their actions and the fact that too many bishops just tried to sweep these problems under the rug and that all too many popes were more concerned about protecting the Church than solving the problem. Unfortunately, this is what all too many organizational leaders do even outside of ecclesiastical circles, but it is especially disappointing that our Church did this as well.

 

[metis]

My uncle was head of Catholic Relief Services for two decades. I am aware of all that.
Doesn't change the fact that doing wrong is still doing wrong.
Tom

What does that really have to do with Catholic charities though? Why stereotype the entire Church? Have you ever done wrong? If so, should we stereotype and condemn you as well?

 

[Darkforbid]

What does that really have to do with Catholic charities though? Why stereotype the entire Church? Have you ever done wrong? If so, should we stereotype and condemn you as well?

The school is a Catholic charity

 

[Skwim]

Agree or not with the story, it's a private school and they probably can teach creationism if they choose to.

Absolutely they can. Of course it doesn't say much for them if they do, but then they also teach that at communion the bread and wine physically change into the actual body and blood of Jesus. So what's a little creationist pap thrown in for good measure.

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[We Never Know]

Absolutely they can. Of course it doesn't say much for them if they do, but then they also teach that at communion the bread and wine physically change into the actual body and blood of Jesus. So what's a little creationist pap thrown in for good measure.

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I'm just stating being a private school, they can do much of what they want.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Absolutely they can. Of course it doesn't say much for them if they do, but then they also teach that at communion the bread and wine physically change into the actual body and blood of Jesus. So what's a little creationist pap thrown in for good measure.

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The Catholic Church is not even all that big on creationism. But private schools are able to teach that. Of course this is a bit of a red herring. What is being discussed if an employer has a right to tell someone what legal activities that they can do on their own time. I would have a tendency to say "No". This is not a case of people imposing their morals on the Catholic Church. In fact it is quite the opposite. This is a case of the Catholic Church trying to impose their morals on others.

 

[We Never Know]

Absolutely they can. Of course it doesn't say much for them if they do, but then they also teach that at communion the bread and wine physically change into the actual body and blood of Jesus. So what's a little creationist pap thrown in for good measure.

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The church may have the right to fire the teacher being it's a private catholic school.

H9wever I'm more wondering why a gay teacher would want to teach at a private catholic school.

 

[Skwim]

The church may have the right to fire the teacher being it's a private catholic school.

H9wever I'm more wondering why a gay teacher would want to teach at a private catholic school.

As I told Father Heathen here, (post #8) ". . . maybe when your back is up against the wall and your kids are crying for food any job is better than no job at all."

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[We Never Know]

As I told Father Heathen here, (post #8) ". . . maybe when your back is up against the wall and your kids are crying for food any job is better than no job at all."

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Sure. Next an afro-american will lead the next clan meeting into prayer. What could go wrong? (sarcasm).

You can't tell me that the thought of it being a problem didn't cross their mind. Until I know why they chose to teach there, we all are more or less in the blind.

 

[columbus]

What does that really have to do with Catholic charities though? Why stereotype the entire Church? Have you ever done wrong? If so, should we stereotype and condemn you as well?

Little to nothing.
Another poster brought up Catholic Charities as though I were unaware, and somehow that gave them license to behave badly.
Tom

 

[Shadow Wolf]

So you think imposing your moral beliefs on others is fine.

Ultimately, someone has to. The Vatican harbors fugitives of the law, they cover up sexual assaults, they blame the victims, yeah, if they want the special treatment they are on very thin ice. If it were up to me, the RCC would lose its tax exempt status for failing to appropriately handle the sex abuse situation, and for being so selfish and self-centered that they'd rather see a child remain in the adoption system than placed with a family. And someone imposing their morality upon others is how we got CPS and child-abuse laws in the first place.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Well, I guess if we're all going to play by the same rules, then what about you? IOW, blanket condemnations, while ignoring the good, is not the way to go, imo. The Church has taken significant strides to rectify these problems, and the results are rather impressive at this point. However. there's much more to do.

I've been involved with Catholic charitable activities for a long time now, and the amount of work that is done, even just in our local parish, is very impressive. So, why blame even them for the immoral actions of a small minority of the Catholic clergy? Trust me, we as Catholics are disgusted by their actions and the fact that too many bishops just tried to sweep these problems under the rug and that all too many popes were more concerned about protecting the Church than solving the problem. Unfortunately, this is what all too many organizational leaders do even outside of ecclesiastical circles, but it is especially disappointing that our Church did this as well.

An organization simply cannot go unpunished (especially for such heinous crimes) just because it also does good. If it worked like that, Bill Cosby probably wouldnt have been charged in the first place.

 

[Kenny]

Two things:
One is that a teacher is there to teach a subject(s), and if that teacher is not teaching theology, what's the problem? Many teachers in Catholic schools are not Catholic, for example.

Not really true for a Church or a Christian School if it is an extension of the church. As someone said, "I can't hear you because what you are doing is speaking so loud.".

A leader is a leader, not just in words (what you are teaching), but also in what you are doing because we are open letters read by all. As a church or a Christian school, we would love the Drag Queen, but we wouldn't use him as a teacher because we are still teaching beyond the subject matter.

Now, if a Catholic school doesn't care, then it is what it is.

Secondly, we now know that being homosexual is not really a choice but is biology according to the research by geneticists. Now, what one may do with their homosexuality is indeed a choice.

I think regardless of genetics, it is still a choice. I may be heterosexual, by I still have a choice to stay faithful to one wife or have another 3 on the side. We may have the genetics of lying, but we still can choose not to lie. We may have the genetics or stealing, but we can still choose not to steal.

Besides, if my genetics were wrong (and they were), I am now a new creature, created in Christ Jesus, old things have passed away and all things have become new. I have a new set of spiritual genetics.

 

[Darkforbid]

Ultimately, someone has to. The Vatican harbors fugitives of the law, they cover up sexual assaults, they blame the victims, yeah, if they want the special treatment they are on very thin ice. If it were up to me, the RCC would lose its tax exempt status for failing to appropriately handle the sex abuse situation, and for being so selfish and self-centered that they'd rather see a child remain in the adoption system than placed with a family. And someone imposing their morality upon others is how we got CPS and child-abuse laws in the first place.

Yawn,, was anyone talking about child abuse which BTW is lower than the general population. You keep bringing sex into the argument why 'the Archdiocese said that the issue is not about sexual orientation, but rather about same-sex marriage and the expectation that all Catholic school employees abide by church teachings. The church has "walked with individuals and schools on many other issues," the archdiocese said.

 

[Kenny]

Are you a True Christian?

The reason I ask is because your post makes clear the incompatibility of Christian values and US values. "Equality before the law" is an American value. The right to discriminate is a Christian value.

I understand that Christianity teaches that and always has. From the slavery and genocide the country was Founded on, to modern forms of bigotry, this country has always been a schizophrenic mix of mutually exclusive ethics.
Luckily for me, it's moved towards the Enlightenment values, and away from the Scriptural values. Sorry that you don't like that.
Tom

I think that is a very narrow minded view of what was written. IMV, the position you have stated promotes hatred and bigotry. If this is "enlightenment values", I'm glad I am already "in the light of Jesus" and not moving from that position.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Yawn,, was anyone talking about child abuse which BTW is lower than the general population. You keep bringing sex into the argument why 'the Archdiocese said that the issue is not about sexual orientation, but rather about same-sex marriage and the expectation that all Catholic school employees abide by church teachings. The church has "walked with individuals and schools on many other issues," the archdiocese said.

Its the fact they dare have the nerve after how their organization has handled the sexual misconduct within its ranks. They are creating a kettle to call black because they are a pot that is thick and heavy with firescale build up.