This will be a quickie AND a post-and-run because it's 4:57 AM and SuperShuttle is arriving at 5:35 AM because I'm flying up to the Bay Area this morning, but I had to share this article from the New York Times with you. It's called Gay Man Says Catholic Parish Rebuffed Him After Marriage and it's from the New York Region section, so yes, this is the Archdiocese Cardinal Dolan presides over.
In most religions, lay people play a role in the daily life of the church or whatever besides just worship. In Nicholas Coppola's case, he participated by
assisting the bereaved at funerals, serving at the altar and once a week teaching children preparing for confirmation about the faith
at St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church in Oceanside on Long Island for about a decade. He came back from a vacation -- a postponed honeymoon -- to find that he had been relieved of these duties, because the parish had received an anonymous letter that suggested that if Mr. Coppola was married to a man, which he was, quite openly, he shouldn't be teaching children. An anonymous letter. "I'm not a bigot, but . . ."
His pastor said he really had no choice but to do this even though Mr. Coppola asked to be reinstated twice. And what does the Archdiocese have to say here?
“The church has the right to have people in public positions who accurately represent its teachings,” said Sean Dolan, director of communications for the diocese. “If someone decides to get married in a homosexual marriage, they don’t quite understand, or at least don’t follow, Catholic teaching.”
They don't quite understand. I don't have words for this. I understand. I know the Church can do whatever it wants, and I'm glad I'm not even Christian. I'm sure, Mr. Dolan, that Jesus wouldn't approve.