Washington Archdiocese Plays Politics With Foster Care Program

by Michael Jones · 2010-02-17 11:08:00 UTC
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CatholicTo hear any number of Catholic officials put it, taking care of children is one of the most important priorities for any given society. The Pope regularly speaks about how "every child asks for our love," and about how God places a special priority on children.

Which is why it's alarming to see the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. play politics with certain children. The Archdiocese, seated right smack-dab in the middle of the nation's capital, has announced that they've ended their foster care program, because they just don't like the fact that D.C. legalized same-sex marriage. For the Archdiocese of Washington, children don't deserve a home in households where gay men or women might take good care of them.

The Washington Post reports that as of February 1, the Archdiocese of Washington transferred all foster care related activities to another organization, The National Center for Children and Families. Folks may be of two minds on this. Some might think it's a good sign -- that the Catholic Church never should have been enmeshed with D.C. politics in the first place when it comes to social services.

But the sad part is that the Catholic Church is sending the message that they'll sacrifice children to play politics with legislators who support gay rights. And that's heart-breaking, especially for Catholics who believe that equal rights for gays and lesbians don't have to be incompatible with their faith.

Michelle Boorstein writes for the Post that the Archdiocese is assessing other social programs they provide for residents of the City, attempting to figure out a way to keep those programs running while still being able to tell gay and lesbian couples that they are less than.

"Now we're in a position where we need to scrutinize everything," Edward Orzechowski, who directs the District's Catholic Charities office, said. "From our point of view, it's important that we don't in any way compromise our religious teaching."

While the Catholic Church debates that, here's hoping that the families and children serviced by their former foster care program are given the same level (if not better) service from the new organization.

Photo credit: Randy OHC

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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