Catholic service group leaves Belleville diocese, to follow same-sex law

[rug]

BY TIM TOWNSEND | Posted: Friday, November 11, 2011

The Catholic Diocese of Belleville and Catholic Social Services of Southern Illinois said Thursday that they would part ways in the wake of a new state law that granted same-sex couples the right to seek civil unions and disrupted the work of Catholic agencies working in foster care and adoption.

The announcement came in separate statements months after the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services stopped referring foster care and adoption cases to Catholic charitable groups. Catholic agencies have refused to license same-sex couples in civil unions as foster parents, a position the state sees as discriminatory.

The Catholic Charities agency in Rockford, Ill., opted to pull out of the state's foster care and adoption system on its own in response to the Illinois decision.

A statement from the Belleville Diocese said Catholic Social Services of Illinois "chose to disassociate from the Diocese," because it was "unable to remain faithful to the moral teaching of the Catholic Church" while adhering to the new law. The statement said the agency, which directs foster parents over more than 600 children, would "no longer be connected to or sponsored by the Diocese."

http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/catholic-service-group-leaves-belleville-diocese-to-follow-same-sex/article_f4e18467-847a-5f8b-bd0e-835ace3828bd.html

[RKP5637]

1. Fine, leave then! Jesus would not leave, but you can, fine! n/t

[MADem]

3. I think you misunderstand--they're splitting off from an association with the church.

They're simply severing their working relationship with the religious entity, not leaving the work they are doing. They intend to adhere to the law. They're renaming their outfit and pressing on:

The agency, which incorporated in 1947 as Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Belleville and will now be called Christian Social Services of Illinois, said in its statement that it was separating from the Belleville Diocese so it could adhere to the new law. The agency has offices in Belleville, Carbondale, Mount Carmel, Mount Vernon and Olney. Its 630 foster care cases account for much of its $13 million budget.

In a statement, the agency's executive director Gary Huelsmann said that the separation "is best for the children by providing for their continuity of care and allowing for the retention of the caring, dedicated and professional staff employed by the agency."

Illinois oversees the foster care system but contracts 80 percent of the caseload to private agencies, of which many are faith-based. In the past, Catholic agencies referred same-sex couples who wanted to be licensed as foster parents to other agencies. Catholic groups say the new law is impinging on their religious freedom.

In an interview, Huelsmann said none of the agency's 187 employees had resigned over the decision to adhere to the new law, though he conceded "there could be" resignations in the future, though it was "too early to tell."



Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/catholic-service-group-leaves-belleville-diocese-to-follow-same-sex/article_f4e18467-847a-5f8b-bd0e-835ace3828bd.html#ixzz1dYY0jab8

[RKP5637]

5. Thanks for the clarification MADem !!! Very much appreciated!!! I got it

twisted!

[MADem]

6. It wasn't terribly well written--not easy to parse. nt

[JohnnyLib2]

2. Pretty amazing.

As I read it, the foster parent agency is breaking with the (official)Church in order to keep the state funding and have "continuity of care." Complying with state law presumably means the staff WILL work with same-sex couples. Kudos to that agency.

I've been aware of the reverse happening, particularly with Southern Baptist supported agencies.

(Rug; please correct me if needed)

[MADem]

4. Exactly. It's a good news story, actually. The Catholic Charities entity

(now renamed) is doing the right thing.

[rug]

7. That's how I read it too.

It makes sense. If the religious teaching varies from the civil law, they should be separate. I'd like to see it applied to other areas.

[pnwmom]

8. Good for them! n/t

[fightthegoodfightnow]

9. Catholic Charity Should Rely on Catholics for Charity

...Not the Government and my taxes. Until then, there is nothing Charitable or Catholic about Catholic Charities. Good riddance.