Gay couple sues Massachusetts diocese after bid to buy building is rejected
September 10, 2012
A homosexual couple has filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts court against the Worcester diocese, charging that the diocese discriminated against them by rejecting their offer to buy a retreat center.
Msgr. Thomas Sullivan, the chancellor of the Worcester diocese, says that the offer from the gay couple was rejected simply because it was too low; the couple had offered barely more than one-third of the listed price.
Msgr. Sullivan acknowledged, however, that the diocese did not want to sell the property to owners who might use the building as a venue for same-sex weddings. He explained: “We wouldn’t sell our churches and our properties to any of a number of things that would reflect badly on the Church.”
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Further information:
- Denied property sale, gay couple to sue bishop (Boston Globe)
- Mass. Gay Couple Sues Church Over Nixed House Sale (ABC)
- Massachusetts diocese could face legal action for refusal to sell retreat center (CWN, 8/1)
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