D.C. same-sex ‘marriage’ law forces Catholic Charities to end new spousal benefits

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Washington D.C., Mar 3, 2010 / 12:44 am (CNA).- Rather than cancel its partnerships with the District of Columbia, Catholic Charities of Washington, D.C. has announced that it will end health coverage for new employees’ spouses in order to comply with the requirements of a new same-sex “marriage” law.

The D.C. City Council’s law recognizing same-sex “marriage” purported to protect religious freedom. However, it required religious entities which serve the general public to provide services to homosexual couples, even if doing so violated their religious beliefs.

Catholic Charities receives $22 million from the city for social service programs, the Washington Post reports. The organization was already forced to end its eight-decade-old adoption and foster care programs because they would have been required to act according to the District’s redefinition of marriage.

Edward J. Orzechowski, President and CEO of Catholic Charities of Washington, D.C., stressed in a March 1 letter to staff members that current employees’ coverage will remain the same unless they request certain revisions in benefit coverage.

“The new plan will provide the same level of coverage for employees and their dependents that you now have, with one exception: spouses not in the plan as of March 1 will not be eligible for coverage in the future,” Orzechowski wrote.

“We sincerely regret that we have to make this change, but it is necessary to allow Catholic Charities to continue to provide essential services to the clients we serve in partnership with the District of Columbia while remaining consistent with the tenets of our religious faith.”

He said that Catholic Charities has worked hard to make a decision that allows it to continue to serve others “in a manner that is consistent with our religious beliefs.”

The Washington Post reports that staff members were not given advance notice of the new policy and will not be able to add a spouse because the most recent enrollment period ended in November.

D.C. Superior Court officials have prepared to implement the redefinition of marriage by rewriting its traditional applications and brochures. Its materials no longer ask for the name of the bride and groom, but rather ask for the name of the “spouse.”

The final pronouncement of “husband and wife” has also been removed as the default language. According to the Washington Post, at the end of civil marriage ceremonies judges will say "I now pronounce you legally married," unless the marrying couple suggests something different.

Comments: 21

Subscriber comments:

Published by: Randy_LB Res
Long Beach, CA 06/16/2010 12:03 PM EST

Honestly, I stopped rating your comments because they are all too incorrect, politically incorrect, and controversial. So what I will say is that Roger Mahoney sums it up when he acknowledged covering up sexual/child abuse, Catholic Priests rapping and sodomize (including oral copulation) young innocent boys for their lustful pleasure, and then reach out to the public for more, and more money. This is the truth and you all know it very well. Comment as your mind distorts your faith in Catholic Charities, but you are all wrong. Unless molesting children is permissible and placed on the ballot for you all to vote in favor of it, you must chill and let Americans move forward and celebrate same-sex marriages. These are the facts you must first research on the Internet; then you all can make a very educated comment and decision as to what is "moral," "correct," and "ACCEPTABLE."

Published by: Dan
Marlyand 03/18/2010 02:58 PM EST

This is what happens when Government doesn't respect the Constitution. The "wall of separation between church and state" is solid on BOTH sides. You can't say that it prevents religious principles alone to dictate secular law, then turn around and say that the new law forces those religions to accept the new law's secular principles with which said religion's church has moral objections.

Published by: Dena Younker
Green River, WY USA 03/12/2010 04:18 PM EST

I am not a Catholic, but I feel they are living by the tenets of the Bible. Why was Sodom and Gommorah destroyed? Because homosexuals were trying to rape the angels that God sent to warn the people of His punishment for their sins. And their SIN was homosexuality. Wake UP, America!

Published by: Rhonda
Gonzales, LA, USA 03/10/2010 11:28 PM EST

Rate: Regular

The Catholic Church is just being selfish and trying to cheap out its employees. You all should not accept taxpayer money if you don't want to comply with the law. And closing down the adoption program? JUST HOW IS THAT PROLIFE!!! And in any case I am sure the charitable group has a separate 501-3c number from the church. So the church can preach hate all it likes without impacting its social work, like the Salvation Army does. You need to think about Christ's command to help the poor and treat people fairly instead of inserting your own backwards politics.

Published by: JD
Silver Spring, Maryland 03/07/2010 04:45 PM EST

Rate: Regular

I think that Catholic Charities should get out of accepting any money from the Government and then they can do whatever they want. There are plenty of organizations that will pick up the slack. I am so sick and tired of religious people making such a deal over Gay Marriage. This is not about Gay Sex it is about marriage. I am gay and I plan on getting married to my partner of 11 years in DC. I am getting married out of love not sex. I love this man with all my heart. For better or worse or sickness and in health that is the commitment I will make to my soon to be husband on the day we get married. In fact before we moved in together we made such a commitment to each other and I don't plan to break it. Being allowed to have a Gay marriage gives us rights and responisibilities that otherwise we would not get. That is what this is about. It is about Love. Period! There is another thing that is peculiar to me. That is as Christian myself the God that I know would not act this way especially acting hyporcritical. For all of those Christians who don't like Gay marriage why are we such a threat to you? I really think that if being Gay was such an important thing to GOD that when the biggest event of all time came to pass the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why did Jesus not mention anything about Gay people. If it was such a terrible thing don't you think that the man who came to save mankind would have said something about it. Just a thought!

Published by: janet fernandez
peebles ohio usa 03/06/2010 03:01 PM EST

While I fully understand the reasoning behind this decision, I have to disagree with it. An insurance policy can cover all in the household (for example, an employee may live with an elderly parent or disabled sibling, etc); this would certainly not be paramount to approving of homosexual marriage.

Published by: Mark
NJ 03/06/2010 08:35 AM EST

I'm glad the church is sticking up for its principles. The double edged sword of democratic elections is that we always get the government we deserve. DC did this to itself and only has its voters to blame. It seems people are upset because there are uninteded consequences to their actions. Guess what, you are responsible for those too.

Published by: Erin
Long Beach, CA 03/04/2010 12:41 PM EST

Rate: Very Good

Play nice and respect each other as equally loved children of God? Yes. But "respect each other's differences"? Well, no, because I suspect by "respect" you mean "consider equally morally valid" and Catholics, charities or individuals, do NOT have a duty to comply with a law they consider to be immoral and against their conscience of faith. To demand it is a form of secular tyranny. I find it very telling of the high Christian moral character that still remains in the general population of America that in every single state that was allowed to vote on the issue, 31 in all so far, the push to legalize homosexual marriage did not pass. The only places in this country where homosexual marriage is legal are states where judges have taken it upon themselves to pass a law contrary to the majority public voice, or they didn't even bother to consult the public at all. This is not an issue of obtaining equal rights under the law. It is an issue of "the freedom of conscience for individuals and the freedom of religion for churches . . . [Supporters of homosexual marriage are] bent on compelling not merely our silence but ultimately our participation in its sins, crimes and follies."

Published by: Francis Xavier T
Washington, D.C. 03/03/2010 11:48 PM EST

Kevin, you seem to be a fair guy. I am from D.C. and I know for a fact that the new law is trying to command the Catholic Church to bend. Specifically, the new law wants to destroy the faith of the Church. The Archdiocese of Washington D.C. has been playing very nice with the homosexual group all these years. In fact, the Cathedral is located at the gay/lesbian district--Dupont Circle. Please also note that D.C. has a small population and a very big government spending. Half of the D.C. people are living on food stamps. Think again if you think D.C. people paying a lot of tax, or the Church receiving big dollars from the government for charities contract works. Please don't try to mislead people if you don't know

Published by: Francis Xavier T
Washington, D.C. 03/03/2010 11:30 PM EST

Philip, your gay people just want to harm the Catholic Church any way you can. Remember the Prop.8 where a just law was voted by the people in the ballot in California. 18,000 miserable people just wanted to ruin million of Catholics of what they believe. How selfish thinking that is. Archbishop Wuerl has been doing things quietly because he didn't want to offend the homosexual, bisexual, or transsexual people and because he loves all people. He let them serve in the churches in Washington D.C. and we all get along fine. It is your group who leave the archbishop without a choice but to avoid being punished by your vicious gay law.

Published by: Minerva
Michigan 03/03/2010 11:23 PM EST

This is sad. I know foster parents who no longer take in children because of these rules. And, for what? Gay-marriage makes no sense. The government can make a case for LICENSING hetrosexual unions, because the natural consequence of same is a child - the responsibility for whom is must be legally identified to lessoning the burden to the state. The gvt. has no such interest in homosexual unions.

Published by: kevin67
Ohio 03/03/2010 10:15 PM EST

"I take comfort in knowing that whenever bitter souls delve deeply into The Catechism for 'dirt' on The Church, they come away as our most fervent Catholic converts." - Kevin Burtyk

Published by: Tsepho
Charlotte 03/03/2010 10:05 PM EST

Aaron and Phillip, your comments are ignorant. Catholic Charities, as an organization, does heroic work throughout our country- from health care to education- to serving the poor. It is THESE PEOPLE, and others like them, who should be supported, and not torn down, impeded, or mocked. When a civil government intends to impose an ideology on a charitable organization at the risk of losing some or all of their excellent services, what is it really saying about their leadership?

Published by: Scott Spiegel
New York, NY 03/03/2010 08:01 PM EST

Rate: Good

If the Church doesn't want to comply with the law, then it should stop taking goodies from the government.

Published by: Paul
McKinney, Texas 03/03/2010 06:38 PM EST

That's the problem with Catholic Charities' getting involved with governement in the first place. They should stop taking government money and end their partnership with Washington D.C.

Published by: Kevin
USA 03/03/2010 03:55 PM EST

The church made the correct decision. I am a non-catholic gay man and I certainly approve of marriage equality. However, the church has a right to change it's business practices to be aligned with the laws of the country in which it operates. Although there is a seperation between church and state here, that is not true in other countries. Those who wish to work for the catholic church or any other religious institution generally do so out of a sense of allegiance and support to said institution, regardless of compensation. I do not think it a secret that anyone working for the catholic church (or any non profit)will never be paid the same as in a for profit. I do disagree with Anne, though, who thinks DC is blackmailing the catholics. DC has the same requirement for every religion. This is, after all, a secular world with tax paying gays, catholics, muslims, jews, atheists, etc. We all need to play nice and still respect each others differences, in this world, if not the next.

Published by: Francis
Wareham Ma 03/03/2010 02:54 PM EST

Well said Myles. Here in Massachusetts after four leftwing elitist "judges" on the State Supreme Court ruled that the Ma Constitution allows same sex "marriage" it didn't take long for the homosexuals and their leftwing, secular progressivist allies to go after Catholic Charities in Boston, which forced them to cancel their adoption program. Boston CC made the correct choice as D.C. CC did.

Published by: aaron
Canada 03/03/2010 02:11 PM EST

Rate: Regular

Give unto Caesar, what is Caesar's. Charities, even catholic ones, have a duty to comply with the law. You can't hold your hand out, and then stamp your feet because the taxpayers (voters) through their representatives have a different agenda for their money then you do. Slashing wagest (cutting benefits) to their own employees only serve give incentive for said employees to work for someone else, which thus allows the city to spend those public funds at a non-catholic charity. This immature "kick the dog" reaction is not immune to the effects of good old capitalism. In the meantime, perhaps they could save even more money, and be more consistent with their faith, but issuing benefits, or maybe even only cutting paycheques, to those employees who have never sinned.

Published by: myles keogh
Fort Riley Kansas 03/03/2010 09:11 AM EST

CC of DC should just cut all ties financially with that cesspool of a govt.

Published by: Anne
Florida 03/03/2010 07:09 AM EST

This is the correct decision. No matter how much some people will whine and protest, the D.C. city counsel should not be able to try to blackmail the Catholic Church and dictate our beliefs. Who do they think they are, and do they really think they are superior to the church that Christ himself founded two thousand years ago? This is proof of their arrogance, their ignorance and their greed. And to think our nation's capital has become another Sodom and Gomorrah. As a nation, we have fallen so low in such a short time. The founding fathers would just shake their heads in disgust and amazement.

Published by: Philip
San Francisco, CA 03/03/2010 01:20 AM EST

Rate: Bad

Catholic charities didn't have to end health coverage for spouses in DC. They and the Catholic Church continue to offer health care for spouses of their employees in California, despite the fact that California has over 18,000 married same sex couples and requires equal treatment for married same sex couples. This is a political move by the Catholic Church. They thought they could get some free press, some more warm bodies in the pews, and some more green in the collection basket.

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