FOX NEWS

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

CHURCH, STATE, LESBIANS AND THE RIGHT TO WORSHIP

In light of the article preceding this on the collusion between Church and state, one has to wonder how long Archbishop Chaput will be able to maintain his stance on rejecting the children of lesbians from admission to Catholic schools as quoted below. While the Archbishop is correct in everything he says, if the Archdiocese is taking money from the state or the federal government to support its schools some hard choices are coming. The government will not allow the Church to enforce its own rules if some whiff of discrimination lingers in the air. If this is the case, will the Archbishop sever the ties that bind the Church to the state?

"The Church does not claim that people with a homosexual orientation are “bad,” or that their children are less loved by God. Quite the opposite. But what the Church does teach is that sexual intimacy by anyone outside marriage is wrong; that marriage is a sacramental covenant; and that marriage can only occur between a man and a woman. These beliefs are central to a Catholic understanding of human nature, family and happiness, and the organization of society. The Church cannot change these teachings because, in the faith of Catholics, they are the teachings of Jesus Christ.

The policies of our Catholic school system exist to protect all parties involved, including the children of homosexual couples and the couples themselves. Our schools are meant to be “partners in faith” with parents. If parents don’t respect the beliefs of the Church, or live in a manner that openly rejects those beliefs, then partnering with those parents becomes very difficult, if not impossible. It also places unfair stress on the children, who find themselves caught in the middle, and on their teachers, who have an obligation to teach the authentic faith of the Church."
Denver Catholic Register
H/T Inside Catholic

3 comments:

  1. This is exactly why, Tom, NO Catholic Institution ought ever to accept help - fiscal or otherwise - from Caesar. This includes but is not limited to Catholic schools, Catholic hospitals, Catholic adoption agencies, Catholic social service agencies, Catholic drug abuse and alcoholism agencies, etc, etc.

    The Body of Christ must never be contaminated by collusion, even and especially when well-intentioned, for nothing is more well-intentioned than nanny govt doing something for the people's "own good" and disguising that with the words "social justice" and "common good."

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  2. Why,would they want to send their kids to a Catholic school anyway?

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  3. To make a political statement and to bring pressure on the Church to change its teachings. The ways the laws in America are written the IRS can swing into action and force, through intimidation, any tax exempt organization to toe the government line. Catholic Answers is involved in a lawsuit over this very issue. This is being g framed as a "social justice" issue and because most Archdiocese's and the Church itself accepts money from the government they open themselves to being forced to accept civil law, even if it violates God's law.

    Of course, they can always refuse the money and the tax exempt status and rely on God for support. It may come to this shortly. I hope the Church chooses wisely.

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