Homeless Held Hostage by Catholic Church in D.C. Fight for Gay Marriage

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-11-12 08:19:00 UTC
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The Catholic Church is holding the vulnerable citizens hostage in a battle over gay marriage in Washington D.C. If gay couples are allowed to marry in our nation's capitol, the Catholic Diocese of D.C. will cut off social services to the city's homeless. This cruel ultimatum calls into question the Church's motives for serving the poor in the first place. In the Church's eyes, are the poorest among us people? Or simply pawns for advancing a cruel, intolerable political agenda?

D.C.'s same sex marriage is slated for a vote next month. If passed, religious organizations would not be required to perform or make space available for same-sex weddings. They would simply have to obey city laws prohibiting discrimination against GLTB individuals. According to the Post, the Church is fearful that a new marriage law would force the Church to "extend employee benefits to same-sex married couples, among other things." Thus, church officials said they would have no choice but to abandon their contracts with the city.

Mike Jones, over at Change.org's Gay Rights blog, dispels the Church's claims even further, pointing out that a change in same sex marriage laws would not require the Church to be secular.

It's easy to get caught up in the he-said, she-said, spin, fear-spreading myths. But the bigger question here is this: how many people will be impacted if the Catholic Diocese of DC follows through with this threat? According to the Post, roughly one-third of the city's homeless population currently receive services from Catholic Charities, the Church's charity arm. That's about 68,000 people who will be cut off from shelters, medical services, food programs.

Based on the cold, remorseless, matter-of-fact statements issued by the Catholic Diocese of DC, this decision to pit social services and gay marriage one another is being made without batting an eye. The church seems to have no problem leaving vulnerable men, women, and children out in the cold simply to make a point. While providing social services is often considered a benevolent activity, holding those reliant on these services hostage to advance a political agenda is an obscene abuse of power.

Why must the poor pay for the church's intolerance?

Image: Gawnesco

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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