Lawmakers defy church pressure on DC gay marriage
Saturday, November 14th, 2009WASHINGTON — The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington wants the city to change its proposal to legalize same-sex marriages to exempt the church from the law, but so far city council members aren’t budging.
Catholic Charities provides social services to about 68,000 people, some of which are city contracts like the management of homeless shelters. 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 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.
Council member Tommy Wells said it would be dangerous to let the Catholic church start writing D.C. laws, a sentiment expressed by Mendelson and other members.
“Allowing individual exemptions opens the door for anyone to discriminate based on assertions of religious principle,” Mendelson said. “Let’s not forget that during the civil rights era, many claimed separation of the races was ordained by God.”
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