What I actually said is that Catholic Charities "is an arm of Catholic social ministry. When it can no longer have the freedom it needs to be 'Catholic,' it will end its services." At this point, HB 1080 is only a bill; a bad bill — but not yet the law. If HB 1080 were to become law, that would be the time for us to make service decisions based on the content of the law. But if you're asking me whether I meant what I said about closing services rather than compromise our religious identity, I most certainly did.
Q: What current standards do you and the Catholic archdiocese demand of your employees when it comes to sexual orientation and religion?
Chaput: We expect our employees to respect Catholic teaching and support it in their professional lives. That's logical and just because the Catholic community has a religious mission. Obviously, we respect the personal lives of our employees. We have no interest, nor does any other sensible employer, in intruding on their privacy or family autonomy outside their service to the Church. But it's self-defeating to imagine a Catholic-affiliated ministry where the key guiding people can't be required to be Catholic.
Q: You note that Catholic Charities already employs many non-Catholics. Obviously, you aren't discriminating against them in your hiring practices even today. So what's the danger of this law — its worst-case effect? Please give some specific examples of how it could impact an agency like Catholic Charities.
Chaput: I think I've said what I need to say pretty clearly in my Jan. 23 column, and Chris Rose amplified on that well in his Jan. 30 letter to the Denver Catholic Register.
Q: How do you respond to those who say, "Oh, the archbishop is just playing politics by threatening to shut down Catholic Charities. Would he really deny services to the poor and disadvantaged — take milk from babies' mouths — just to keep from complying with established discrimination laws?"