A band director at a Macon Catholic school who was fired after disclosing plans to marry his same-sex partner, has reached a settlement with the school in his discrimination suit.
Flint Dollar practices organ at First Presbyterian Church in Milledgeville, Ga. He’s working there part time while he pursues a legal complaint against a private Catholic school that declined to renew his position after administrators learned he plans to marry his male partner.
Flint Dollar, who now lives in New York, alleged he was fired in May of 2014 over plans to marry his same-sex partner, claiming discrimination.
Dollar sought back pay, reinstatement, compensation for emotional pain and suffering, and attorney’s fees.
The school, Mount de Sales Academy, stated at the time Dollar was not fired because of sexual orientation, but because same-sex marriage goes against Catholic doctrine. However, the school handbook makes the claim it is an equal opportunity employer, striving to comply with laws prohibiting various kinds of discrimination, including sexual orientation and marital status.
That statement seemed to undermine the school’s defense, possibly leading to a settlement. An investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that reasonable cause did exist that Dollar had been terminated due to issues related to his sexual orientation.
Dollar stated in his case that he had fully complied with the school’s Professional Excellence Standards while employed, and that the school’s handbook shows no requirement for teachers to be members of the Catholic Church, nor that they adhere to church teachings and standards related to marriage.
The President of Mount de Sales Academy, David Helms, was quoted in the Macon Telegraph as saying, “the parties have reached a confidential settlement to resolve this matter to the mutual satisfaction of both parties.”
Pink Cross, the umbrella association for Swiss gay groups, has filed a criminal complaint against Vitus Huonder, the Catholic bishop of Chur, for “homophobic comments” made in a recent speech in which he quoted bible verses calling for gays to be put to death.
Pink Cross Switzerland said the ‘defamation’ of gays by the church could be tolerated to a certain extent but Huonder had now crossed a ‘red line’
The lawsuit was handed in to the public prosecutor of canton Graubünden in eastern Switzerland on Monday. In addition, the Swiss News Agency said a private individual living in canton St Gallen had also filed a complaint against Huonder on Monday.
Pink Cross, backed by the Swiss Lesbian Organisation, accuses 73-year-old Huonder of “inciting people to crime or violence” with his remarks made at a religious forum in Germany on August 2.
If found guilty, Huonder faces up to three years in prison.
In his 50-minute address on marriage, the bishop quoted two verses from the book of Leviticus, including Leviticus 20:13: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”
In response to applause, he continued: “Both of these passages alone suffice to clarify unambiguously the church’s position on homosexuality”.
Following a public outcry, Huonder released a statement in which he regretted that his comments had been misunderstood and interpreted as contemptuous towards homosexuals. “That wasn’t my intention,” he said.
‘Red line’
This wasn’t good enough for Pink Cross director Bastian Baumann, who said Huonder had repeatedly made clear that he interpreted the passages literally.
Baumann said the call for the “reintroduction of the death penalty for gays” had forced the group to seek criminal prosecution.
“As a figure of authority within the church, Vitus Huonder accepts that his demand will meet with approval among Christians and other fundamentalists and could be followed obediently,” he said.
Baumann said the “defamation of gays by the church” could be tolerated to a certain extent, but the bishop had now crossed a “red line”.
Some members of the Catholic Church have distanced themselves from Huonder, with Markus Büchel, the bishop of St Gallen, saying people should not be reduced to their sexuality.
“What we know today about homosexuality – that it is a predisposition and not a freely chosen orientation – was not known when the Bible was written,” he wrote to parishioners.
Nevertheless, Büchel still opposes church blessings of same-sex couples, believing they go against the church’s view of marriage as a sacred union between a man and a woman.
Subjugation of human rights
Huonder is no stranger to controversy, having previously opposed issues including women priests and sex education. He believes parents should have the right to have their children exempted from sex education classes in school and that divine law comes before human rights.
Earlier this year Huonder called for a Swiss priest who had blessed a lesbian couple to be sacked.
The priest kept his job after apologising to Huonder for causing him any “inconvenience” and promising not to bless any more gay couples.
Leaders of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee said Tuesday that they had reached a $21 million settlement with hundreds of victims of sexual abuse by clergy members, though the agreement is still subject to approval by a federal judge.
The archdiocese, which has been entangled in bankruptcy proceedings since 2011, reached the deal after years of sometimes bitter negotiations. Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki said the settlement, if approved by the court, would end the bankruptcy case.
“Today, we turn the page on a terrible part of our history and we embark on a new road lined with hope, forgiveness and love,” Archbishop Listecki said in a statement.
Mike Finnegan, a lawyer whose Minnesota law firm represents most of the victims, said the settlement amount should have been higher and criticized the archdiocese’s legal tactics. The settlement was “not a victory for survivors,” he said, but was better than the alternatives likely in bankruptcy court.
“This archdiocese has fought more aggressively than any other in the country” facing sexual abuse claims, Mr. Finnegan said.
The $21 million will be shared among 330 abuse survivors, the archdiocese said. Payment amounts will vary, with a court-appointed administrator determining how much each person receives. The settlement also calls for a $500,000 therapy fund for abuse survivors.
The sexual abuse allegations against Wisconsin clergy are among many across the country that have led to large settlements and criticism of the Catholic Church. The San Diego diocese reached a settlement of nearly $200 million with 144 people in 2007. The diocese in Wilmington, Del., settled for $77 million with 146 abuse victims in 2011.
The Milwaukee archdiocese said its agreement with the victims would be detailed in court filings later this month, and likely reviewed by a judge in November. Mr. Finnegan said he expects the settlement to be approved.
Archbishop Listecki said the possibility of exiting bankruptcy court after more than four years was a welcome development, and he offered conciliatory words for the victims in his statement.
“This settlement represents for us in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee a new Pentecost, a day of rebirth that renews our focus on word, worship and service,” the archbishop said. “We do so remembering those who have been harmed; keeping them in our prayers; supporting them through therapy and healing; promising never to forget the evil that has been done; and working diligently to ensure this never happens again.”
File Under: Holy cow, you could get the gay cooties!
“I’m afraid of the gays so you can’t be a boy scout. That’s just how our church works.”
The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck has ordered parishes in western North Dakota to sever sponsorship ties with the Boy Scouts of America following the group’s decision to lift its ban on gay adult leaders.
“I cannot permit our Catholic institutions to accept and participate directly or indirectly in any organization which has policies and methods which contradict the authoritative moral teachings of the Catholic Church,” Bishop David Kagan wrote Monday in a letter to parishioners.
The Boy Scouts last week ended its ban on gay adult leaders, while allowing church-sponsored Scout units to maintain the exclusion for religious reasons.
“Effective immediately, the Catholic Church of the Diocese of Bismarck and each and every one of its parishes, schools and other institutions is formally disaffiliated with and from the Boy Scouts of America,” Kagan wrote.
Sonia Mullally, a spokeswoman for Kagan, said he was not available for comment Tuesday because he was attending Mass in Minot.
A woman who answered the phone at the Boy Scout headquarters in Texas said the organization had no comment on the bishop’s order.
North Dakota’s other Roman Catholic diocese, in Fargo, serves more than 80,000 Catholics in the eastern part of the state. Bishop John Folda said in a statement that he hopes “scouting remains a viable option for Catholic youth” in that part of the state. But he said Boy Scout leaders should “select volunteers based on character and conduct consistent” with the church’s teachings.
The Bismarck diocese, which covers the western portion of the state, serves more than 62,000 Catholics.
Cory Wrolstad, a spokesman for the Boy Scouts’ Northern Lights Council in Bismarck, says the bishop’s decision will affect eight Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs in Bismarck, Mandan, Beulah and Williston. The troop in Mandan will end a 66-year affiliation with the Catholic church, Wrolstad said.
“They will be working to find other charter organizations within those communities, and there will be a good chance they will be faith-based organizations,” he said.
Scout groups pay a $40 annual charter fee to sponsoring organizations, which helps cover insurance liability costs, Wrolstad said.
The Northern Lights Council, which also includes parts of neighboring South Dakota, Montana and Minnesota, has more than 400 packs and troops, he said.
Former Waldron Mercy Academy teacher Margie Winters was not allowed in the building, but an archdiocesan representative accepted the box of signed petitions.
By Chris Brennan
Margie Winters, accompanied by about 50 supporters and carrying a box of petitions signed by 23,000 people who want her reinstated as a Catholic school educator, could not get in the front door.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Center City offices were on lockdown Monday afternoon. A security guard politely but firmly refused to allow Winters to enter the building.
“Because I’m so threatening,” Winters joked after handing the box to the guard and asking him to deliver it to Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.
Winters was fired June 22 as director of religious education at Waldron Mercy Academy in Merion for being in a same-sex marriage, something she told the school about when she was hired eight years ago.
“We ask for full inclusion at the table and in the church,” Winters told her cheering supporters Monday. “And we ask now for a moratorium on firing any LGBT employee.”
Winters questioned the archdiocese’s repeated claim that it played no role in her firing. An anonymous complaint to the archdiocese in June “very quickly” set in motion her firing, Winters said.
“It wasn’t until the archdiocese was notified that something changed,” she said. “You can draw your own conclusions.”
The petitions, addressed to Chaput, read, “Margie Winters’ firing was unjust and contrary to Catholic values, and she should be reinstated immediately. Please inform the school’s leadership that you will not interfere with their staffing or threaten their status as a Catholic school.”
Archdiocesan spokesman Ken Gavin called the petitions “problematic.”
“It’s wrong for any individual or group to perpetuate the falsehood that the archbishop interfered with the school’s personnel decisions,” he said.
The petition drive was organized by Faithful America, a group that says it has more than 319,000 members.
The group’s website describes it as “the largest and fastest-growing online community of Christians putting faith into action for social justice. Our members are sick of sitting by quietly while Jesus’ message of good news is hijacked by the religious right to serve a hateful political agenda.”
The group’s previous petition drives have pressured Google and MSNBC to cut ties with organizations accused of discrimination against the LGBT community, and targeted a corporation using religion to defend employee insurance plans that did not include birth control.
Chaput, in a statement last month, said school officials showed “character and common sense” in firing Winters.
The school and the Sisters of Mercy, the religious order that sponsors it, have said Waldron Mercy’s Catholic identity could have been put at risk if it did not follow the church’s teachings on same-sex marriage.
Chaput clearly saw that as a possibility.
“Schools describing themselves as Catholic take on the responsibility of teaching and witnessing the Catholic faith in a manner true to Catholic belief,” Chaput said in a statement last month. “There’s nothing complicated or controversial in this.”
Winters’ firing outraged parents, prompting some to withhold contributions and tuition to the school and others to consider sending their children to other schools.
The school’s board of trustees last month held three “small-group discussions” on Winters’ firing that were attended by about 170 parents, and the board has promised to hold a “larger town hall meeting” as the school year approaches.
