CNA Staff, Nov 20, 2020 / 19:01 pm
The Diocese of Tulsa has withdrawn from the Oklahoma Council of Churches because the group will not defend the life of unborn children from abortion, its bishop said earlier this month.
The OCC "will not commit itself to defending the right to life of babies in the womb, the most marginalized, mistreated, abused and discriminated against group in the country," Bishop David Konderla wrote in a statement dated Nov. 6.
"I believe that a Christian group that wants to publish moral statements but cannot agree that abortion is a grave evil should continue without the Catholic diocese as a co-signer of its statements."
Bishop Konderla's decision was prompted by a statement on racism and anti-discrimination prepared by the Christian council. The statement affirmed the "equality and equity of all God's children, without exception, and that no person should experience discrimination regardless of their sex, religion, race, immigration status, sexual orientation, political affiliation, age, gender identity/gender expression, ability, or socio-economic status."