D.C. defies church pressure on marriage

November 14, 2009|Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is threatening to stop providing social services, including management of city homeless shelters, unless lawmakers change a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage.

Most City Council members have refused to do that.

Catholic Charities has city contracts to provide services to about 68,000 people. The marriage bill would not require churches to perform same-sex weddings, but because Catholic Charities uses city money, the archdiocese fears it would have to offer employee benefits and adoptions to married same-sex couples.

The marriage legislation is expected to pass next month and has the mayor’s support.

Jane G. Belford, the chancellor of the Washington Archdiocese, wrote Councilman Phil Mendelson on Wednesday asking for an exemption to protect the church’s religious freedoms. The church wants to be exempt from any measure that would require it to extend benefits to same-sex couples or allow gays and lesbians to adopt children.

Councilman Tommy Wells said it would be dangerous to let the Catholic Church start writing District of Columbia laws.