Massachusetts attorney general backs discrimination lawsuit against Catholic diocese
March 14, 2014
The attorney general of Massachusetts has filed an amicus brief in support of a discrimination lawsuit brought against the Worcester diocese by a homosexual couple.
The couple had sought to purchase an estate—formerly a retreat center—which the diocese was selling. After reaching an initial agreement, the diocese pulled out of negotiations. Accidentally, a diocesan official sent the couple a copy of an email message saying that the sale should not be completed because the couple might host gay marriages at the site.
Attorney General Martha Coakley has backed the plaintiffs, saying that they were “unfairly discriminated against by the diocese when it refused to sell them property based on their sexual orientation.” Coakley said that the real-estate transaction was not a matter of religious faith, and therefore the diocese did not qualify for exemption from anti-discrimination laws on grounds of religious freedom.
Diocesan officials have argued that the collapse of the proposed transaction was caused by the failure of the gay couple to secure financing to back their purchase.
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Posted by: -
Mar. 17, 2014 5:28 PM ET USA
I guess it is unreasonable that a religious organization would prefer that a formerly consecrated site not be used in a manner that flouts, indeed mocks its former use. So Mother Martha won't mind at all if the next Temple of Almighty Tolerance (PPH site) that closes is used as a crisis pregnancy and infant care center.
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Mar. 15, 2014 1:11 PM ET USA
"Accidentally, a diocesan official sent the couple a copy of an email message saying that the sale should not be completed because the couple might host gay marriages at the site." Consequences of 50 years of de-evangelization.
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Posted by: TheJournalist64 -
Mar. 14, 2014 5:54 PM ET USA
Watch the camel try to get his/her nose under the tent. The objective, remember, is the destruction of the Catholic church. This is a step toward suing Catholic clergy for refusing to "marry" homosexuals.
