Catholic Charities D.C. Chooses To End Foster-Care Services

In response to the Washington, D.C. same-sex marriage bill that will become law next month, Catholic Charities in D.C. has chosen the exact same path it did in Massachusetts — to end its management and support of its child foster-care services — this time transferring the entire operation over to the National Center for Children and Families, effective February 1.

It’s important to note that the new D.C. law did not force Catholic Charities to close its doors, as some organizations claimed it did in Massachusetts when that state adopted marriage equality. Catholic Charities chose to end its foster care and adoption services rather than make changes which would allow same-sex individuals or couples to adopt.

Catholic Charities’ own statement said,

“Foster care has been an important ministry for us for many decades…We regret that our efforts to avoid this outcome were not successful.”

Other religious and anti-gay groups were not as sensitive. The Catholic League, a bastion of anti-gay hatred, playing the victim card, issued its own press release, titled, “CATHOLIC FOSTER CARE IN D.C. FORCED OUT.” (It’s amusing to note that the immediately previous press release on their web site is titled, “GAY ACTIVIST RIPS POPE ON BEHAR SHOW.”)

By the way, the “Catholic League” is actually the “Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.” I’ll let you take that one on.

Via Americans United For Separation Of Church And State:

“The Rev. Barry Lynn, AU’s executive director, called the church’s demands “outrageous.”

“If ‘faith-based’ charities cannot or will not obey civil rights laws, they ought not benefit from public funds,” he said.

“I am amazed that church officials would threaten to stop helping the disadvantaged because they are being asked to treat all citizens of the District fairly,” he continued. “They seem to have lost all perspective. How strong is their commitment to helping the poor if they’re willing to take this hard-line stance?

“If Catholic Charities drops its participation in publicly funded social services,” Lynn concluded, “I am confident that other charities would be happy to pick up the slack.”

The Washington Post today reported,

“City officials knew of no other faith-based groups that said their city contracts were in jeopardy.

“Edward Orzechowski, president and chief executive of Catholic Charities, the archdiocese’s social service arm, said the group is optimistic that it will find a way to structure its benefits packages in other social service programs so that it can remain in partnership with the city without recognizing same-sex marriage.

“Asked if that meant looking at ways to avoid paying benefits to same-sex partners or ways to write benefits plans so as not to characterize same-sex couples as “married,” Orzechowski said “both, and.”

“Now we’re in a position where we need to scrutinize everything,” he said. “From our point of view, it’s important that we don’t in any way compromise our religious teaching.”

In Massachusetts, Catholic Charities decided to end its adoption services when that state’s high court found a ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. This, despite the fact its parishioners voted to keep the93-year old adoption running. It was not the law that forced the closing of Catholic Charities’ Boston foster care services, it was its own religious leaders, who decided against the will of its own parishioners.

Catholic Charities D.C. web site reads, “Catholic Charities | Opening doors to help and hope.” Perhaps that needs to be amended to limit the door-opening to straight couples?

Oh. Just three days before closing its foster care services, Catholic Charities posted this on their Twitter feed:

“At local #CatholicCharities agencies, emergency services in high demand…”