Nietzsche is Dead: Catholic Church objects same-sex marriage bill

I've said it before, and I'll say it again — the Catholic Church needs better PR managers.


The church is once again coming under fire for its policies, this time over a hotly debated same-sex marriage bill currently under discussion in the Washinton D.C. metro council. The bill, intended to prohibit discrimination against married gays, obviously upsets the church, and its opposition to the proposal would hardly be newsworthy.


But in this particular case, religious objections to gay marriage have much higher stakes, given the church's unique relationship with the D.C. area.


Currently, the Church, through the organization Catholic Charities, is contracted by the city to provide social services for the poor and homeless. The organization received a total of some $8.2 million last year, in addition to the privately-raised $10 million it uses to provide assistance with adoptions, health care and homeless shelters. All in all, the Church serves approximately 68,000 people in the city, and is responsible for care of more than one third of the city's homeless.


Now the Church has announced it will withdraw its services from the state if the bill passes — which is likely.


Many are outraged by the announcement, and the press has variably labled it "black-mail" and "interference with secular affairs." They see the "threat" of withdrawn services as holding the city government hostage.


As easy as some may find it to label the move political strong-arming, the reality is less easily defined.


Catholic Charities isn't threatening to leave the poor out to dry as a way to aggresively influence policy. The objection is to exactly how the bill's passage would alter the relationship between the Church and the city.


While the bill would not force churches to marry homosexuals or in any way alter their doctrine, it mandates that all organizations contracted by the state provide the same health benefits and adoption rights to gay couples as straight couples. Since the Church receives government funding, it would have to comply — which Catholics claim compromises their religious beliefs.


One thing is clear — the Catholic Church isn't blackmailing anybody. But after that important distinction is made, things get pretty fuzzy.


The most likely outcome is that the bill passes and the Church withdraws its services. This isn't really a solution — while the Church can certainly continue to provide charitable aid with its own money, it obviously will have to decrease its operations. And while the more ferevent supporters of the bill's passage claim other charities will rise to take over those left unhelped, this seems risky — and unlikely.

Few secular organizations can match the fund-raising and volunteer capabilities of the Catholic Church — indeed, the Church is second only to the government in terms of scope of charitable aid. If another organization (or coalition of organizations) does appear, it seems unlikely that it will be able to provide an equivalent level or quality of support.


Instead of an all-or-nothing battle — either the city drops the bill or the Church drops it's aid — a compromise might better serve both parties and the citizens they are supposed to be assisting.


First, Catholics could accept the bill under protest. Catholics providing gays with assistance would not only fulfill a sacred obligation to help the disadvantaged, but could help polish the badly-tarnished image many secular citizens have of Catholicism.


But the belief that homosexual marriages are immoral is deeply-held by most Catholics, and it's certainly legtimitate to feel uneasy about furthering such relationships. And it's highly unlikely that the Church would accept it.


A more feasible solution would be to allow the Church to continue receiving government subsidies, while gay spouses are directed to secular sources for help.

But whatever the solution, it should be a solution rather than a confrontation.


Under the right circumstances, the social gospel can combine with government resources to work        wonders. The Church isn't evil — in fact it's a source of great help to millions of poor and sick people worldwide. It seems obvious that government put some effort into making a relationship with such an organization work.



Matthew Albright is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_malbright.




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Contact Matthew Albright at malbright@lsureveille.com