Washington D.C., Nov 21, 2009 / 12:15 pm
Although their efforts have been unsuccessful thus far, council members in Washington, D.C are pushing for a compromise with the Archdiocese of Washington to ensure that the Church will not pull its social services contract if the council legalizes same-sex "marriage."
On Dec. 1, council members are scheduled to vote on a bill which would legalize same sex 'marriage' in D.C. and require Catholic Charities and other religious institutions to “recognize and promote” it as Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl has previously stated.
According to the Washington Post, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton has said that it would be “very much desired” that jurisdictions “accommodate” Catholic Charities. Norton, who spoke briefly with Archbishop Wuerl on Thursday, has also expressed a desire to resolve the dispute without Congress having to get involved.
In addition to this, Council members David A. Catina (I-At Large) and Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) sent Archbishop Wuerl a letter on Thursday urging Catholic Charities to adopt a policy like the one currently held by Georgetown University. The policy in effect at Georgetown is said to give benefits to same-sex couples but does not officially recognize that the couples are the same sex.