Peoria, Ill., Oct 6, 2011 / 17:31 pm
Catholic Charities of Peoria is withdrawing from Illinois state-funded social services because state laws and public policy have “increasingly clashed” with Church teachings and the partnership is no longer a “viable option,” Bishop Daniel Jenky announced Oct. 6.
“Withdrawing from the ongoing litigation and these services is not a decision that was made lightly,” the bishop said.
The Diocese of Peoria has fought since June to have the courts affirm the legality of Catholic Charities’ “longstanding practice” of referring unmarried couples to other licensed child welfare agencies to process foster home applications.
On June 1 the state’s civil unions law went into effect, establishing legal privileges for same-sex and opposite-sex couples in civil unions. Despite the law’s purported protections for religious freedom, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said it was ending its contract with Catholic Charities because of the agencies’ alleged refusal to obey the law.