The D.C. City Council was warned by legal experts that the same sex marriage legislation they were considering lacked adequate protection of religious freedom. Rather than heeding these concerns the D.C. City Council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary actually made the accommodations for religious freedom even more narrow than had been previously proposed. A statement from the Archdiocese of Washington responded:
As a result, religious organizations and individuals are at risk of legal action for refusing to promote and support same-sex marriages in a host of settings where it would compromise their religious beliefs. This includes employee benefits, adoption services and even the use of a church hall for non-wedding events for same-sex married couples. Religious organizations such as Catholic Charities could be denied licenses or certification by the government, denied the right to offer adoption and foster care services, or no longer be able to partner with the city to provide social services for the needy.
“It is our concern that the committee’s narrowing of the religious exemption language will cause the government to discontinue our long partnership with them and open up the agency to litigation and the use of resources to defend our religious beliefs rather than serve the poor,” said Edward Orzechowski, president/CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. Catholic Charities serves 68,000 people in the city each year. The city’s 40 Catholic parishes operate another 93 social service programs to provide crucial services.
The Washington Post characterizes this as the Church giving the city an ultimatum. Susan Gibbs, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Washington D.C. claims that it is the city that is giving the ultimatum.
"We are not threatening to walk out of the city," Gibbs said. "The city is the one saying, 'If you want to continue partnering with the city, then you cannot follow your faith teachings.' "
Edward Orzechowski, president of Washington D.C. Catholic Charities, stated that the Archdiocese will not stop helping those in need. However, the legal jeopardy that this same-sex marriage legislation imposes upon the Church will make it difficult to help the needy in any sort of formal partnership with the city. City Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large) stated that he would rather end the city's relationship with the Catholic Church than provide broader exemptions for religious freedom. He stated, "They [the Catholic Church] don't represent, in my mind, an indispensable component of our social services infrastructure." It looks like Councilman Catania may have an opportunity to validate this assertion.
Catholic Charities of Washington D.C.
Archdiocese of Washington information on marriage
Comments
As a Catholic, this stance that the Archdiocese is making is very disturbing. The sick and needy should never be used as a bargaining chip for political purpose.
Andrew, The Archdiocese is just being honest with the city council and letting them know the consequences of their actions. The Archdiocese is not saying "we will not work with you if you approve gay marriage". The Archdiocese is saying that without religious freedom protection, the Archdiocese cannot enter into social service partnerships with the city since these partnerships would now compel the Archdiocese to act contrary to the tenets of its Catholic faith. The city had the opportunity to provide religious freedom protection with the Alexander Amendment but refused. The Archdiocese is still committed to helping those in need, but must now do it independent of the city.
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