The debate over same-sex marriage in this country creates many strong opinions regarding what, if any, consequences it will have on the economy and the ‘sanctity of marriage.’
Many religious organizations have taken a stance against increased rights for same-sex couples, but the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. is staunchly against the idea, taking drastic measures to prove their point.
The Washington city council will propose -and likely pass- a law next month permitting same-sex marriages in the city and prohibiting discrimination against same-sex couples. Concerned the provisions of the law will require the church to provide benefits to same-sex couples, the church is threatening to sever ties with the city and abandon any contracts they have with the city.
This creates a scenario where the church may no longer provide such social programs as homeless shelters. According to the Washington Post, the social service faction of the church, Catholic Charities, provides approximately $10 million to the city in order to fund the social service programs orchestrated by the city.
It is understandable that the Catholic Church would not want to support a law that goes against their system of beliefs. However, such a move by the archdiocese would hurt people who rely on the money and services provided by Catholic Charities and it would send a bad message about the church’s priorities.
As a Catholic myself, I admire the work that Catholic Charities does. I am glad to see the money the church receives from parishioners goes to help those in need. However, not only do I disagree with the church’s stance on this law, but also the archdiocese’s methods in showing their disapproval with the proposed law.
It creates a sort of false dichotomy, in which the Washington city council must choose between passing the anti-discrimination bill and potentially putting homeless people currently receiving aid back out on the streets. It’s saying gay people receiving benefits and equal protection will cause poor people to suffer. Increasing gay rights and getting roofs over the heads of homeless Washington residents are seemingly two unrelated issues, and the well-being of those less fortunate should not be reliant upon this bill.
Everyone pays taxes. Unfortunately, we cannot dictate what projects they will fund. Again, it is unfortunate that the archdiocese’s money may have to go toward something they disagree with. But at the same time, much of the money they do give to the city is put to great use. Is it worth losing such a strong tie with the city of Washington because you disapprove of one decision it makes?
The Washington Post quotes Susan Gibbs, an archdiocese spokeswoman, as saying, ‘The city is saying in order to provide social services, you need to be secular. For us, that’s really a problem.’ While it may be important to be non-secular, such a move by the archdiocese could be completely off-putting, and may turn people against the church. They may not be looked at as an organization that helps others in the name of Jesus, but rather as one that only works to put forward a specific agenda.
As a Catholic, I feel the Christian thing to do in such a situation is continue offering services even in the midst of such a challenge of the church’s beliefs. I’m sure at some point, the archdiocese has assisted someone who did not follow the church’s teachings, and had no plans to do so.
Christians are supposed to help others, regardless of any sins they may have committed. In this case, helping others doesn’t require being secular, it just requires basic human decency. This principle should not and does not have to be compromised by the passing of this law.
It’s not the people receiving the benefits of the social programs who are making the law; rather, it is the elected officials of the city. It’s as if people who do rely on the city’s social programs, partially funded by the church, are collateral in this conflict.
If the church is willing to stop honoring contracts with the city, it will do so as a bull-headed means to prove a point. In doing so, they will not be hurting the people who did not follow the church’s belief system, but those uninvolved with the lawmaking process.
Rather than spreading the church’s teachings by trying to stop gay rights, the archdiocese should look to the teachings of Jesus and help those truly in need.
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