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Some good news for a change
Michigan can't force Catholic charity to place kids
with same-sex, unmarried couples: settlement
By Michael Gryboski,
Mainline Church Editor Twitter|
Friday, January 28, 2022
Christian adoption agencies and foster care groups that contract with the Michigan government won't be required to place children with same-sex couples, according to a new legal settlement.
In 2019, Michigan reached a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union, agreeing not to enforce a law passed in 2015 that allowed faith-based adoption and foster care agencies that contract with the government — among them St. Vincent Catholic Charities — to be exempted from state antidiscrimination law.
However, in a settlement filed in federal court on Tuesday, St. Vincent will now be allowed to be exempted from state anti-discrimination law when it comes to only placing children with opposite-sex married couples.
David Maluchnik, spokesman for the Michigan Catholic Conference, released a statement on the day of the settlement celebrating the result, seeing it as a victory for religious liberty.
“We are grateful that a law signed in 2015 with bipartisan support to uphold conscience rights will continue to benefit Michigan’s most vulnerable children who are served by a network of faith-based child placement agencies,” stated Maluchnik.
“Despite a coordinated and high-profile ‘sue and settle’ strategy that sought to find the 2015 law unconstitutional, Michigan’s child placement policy now enjoys federal legal protections that solidifies and strengthens the right of religious agencies to assist a range of children and families in search of permanent homes.”
Demetrius Starling, executive director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement on Tuesday that while they cannot force St. Vincent to adhere to anti-discrimination law, they will find other ways to make LGBT families feel more included.
“While this outcome is not what we hoped for, we are committed to providing support to the many members in the LGBTQ+ community who want to open their hearts and their homes,” Starling said.
“We are so appreciative of all families that step up to help these children — no matter their orientation or gender identity and expression.”
In 2015, Michigan passed a law that allowed religious charities who contracted with the government to be exempted from anti-discrimination law in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs.
St. Vincent Catholic Charities had testified in defense of the legislation, with a representative explaining that while they would refuse to place a child in an unmarried or same-sex family, they would refer that family to another agency.
In 2017, the ACLU filed a complaint against the law on behalf of two same-sex couples who were turned away from state-supported child-placing agencies due to their relationships.
In March 2019, in response to the suit, Michigan announced that it would require all groups contracted with the government to comply with state anti-discrimination law.
“This is a victory for the nearly 12,000 children in foster care in Michigan who need loving families like those offered by our clients,” stated Leslie Cooper, deputy director of the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project, at the time.
“We are thrilled that the state of Michigan has committed to ensuring that all of the agencies it hires to find families for children in state custody comply with its non-discrimination requirements so that children do not lose out on families to care for them.”
However, in September of that year, Judge Robert Jonker issued a preliminary injunction against the settlement between the ACLU and the state, explaining that the “State’s new position targets St. Vincent’s religious beliefs.”
In June of last year, the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia that Philadelphia officials cannot exclude a Catholic charity from its foster program because the organization will not place children with same-sex couples in accordance with religious beliefs.
Vietnamese Catholic priest killed in knife attack
while hearing confessions
By UPI Staff
Jan. 31 (UPI) -- A Catholic priest was killed in central Vietnam over the weekend by a man with a knife who attacked while the priest was hearing confessions, the Vatican said Monday.
The priest of Dominican order, Joseph Tran Ngoc Thanh, was hearing the confessions on Saturday at the Sa Loong Subparish in Kon Tum province, which is located in Vietnam's Central Highlands.
The Vatican said Tranh was stabbed multiple times shortly before the celebration of the Vespers Mass at a mission of Dak Mot, which is located about 275 miles northeast of Ho Chi Minh City.
The Vatican said another person at the church was injured when he rushed to Tranh's aid, but survived.
"Messages of mourning and grief have poured in from the parish community of Dak Mot where the priest lived and worked, as well as from the Dominican Province of Vietnam," the Vatican said via Vatican News.
The attacker was arrested and is believed to be mentally ill.
Or, more than likely, demonically possessed!
Tranh, 40, was buried on Monday at St. Martin Chapel in Dong Nai province and lies among other Dominicans in the Cemetery of the Province.
"Please unite to pray so that Father Guise's soul may soon enjoy the glory of God," the Diocese of Kon Tum said in a statement.
Kon Tam, VN
Archbishop urges end to celibacy rules
The prominent German cardinal said some priests would be less lonely
if the 12th-century rules were loosened
© Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP
In comments published on Wednesday by Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the archbishop of Munich, said that discussion was needed as to whether celibacy was still in the best interests of priests and the Catholic Church.
“For some priests, it would be better if they were married – not just for sexual reasons, but because it would be better for their life and they wouldn't be lonely,” Marx told the newspaper in an interview. “We must hold this discussion.”
The German cardinal didn’t suggest that celibacy should be scrapped altogether but claimed there was a “question mark” over “whether it should be taken as a basic precondition for every priest.”
He stated that, while celibacy has been a part of the priesthood for centuries, he can imagine a time when priests are married.
Marx’s diocese was recently shaken by a report into the handling of sexual abuse cases by clerics. Marx and his predecessors, including retired Pope Benedict XVI, were criticized for failing to act appropriately in response to allegations brought against members of the priesthood.
The cardinal is an ally of Pope Francis and has frequently urged reform of the Catholic Church. Last week, he stated that deep reforms were needed to overcome the “disaster” of sexual abuse.
Celibacy in the priesthood was only formally introduced in 1123 and again in 1139. However, the 12th-century move reflected historic traditions in the church.
The point is that far too many priests and bishops ignore the celibacy requirement, and no one enforces it. Celibacy should be an individual decision that is revocable when it becomes obvious that it is untenable. Laws like this only increase sins and open the doors for more sins. Sin is progressive!
There is no requirement in the Bible for priests or Bishops to be celibate, only righteous and faithful. The celibacy requirement makes that so much more difficult and even impossible for some.
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