Trump administration sides with Catholic school that fired gay teacher - The Washington Post

Trump administration sides with Catholic school that fired gay teacher - The Washington Post

Trump administration sides with Catholic school that fired gay teacher

The Trump administration is backing a Roman Catholic archbishop in Indiana who pushed a Catholic school to fire a gay teacher, saying in a legal document that the First Amendment protects the church’s right to make such decisions.

The Justice Department submitted a “statement of interest” on the side of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in a lawsuit filed by the teacher, Joshua Payne-Elliott, who was fired in June from Cathedral High School, where he had taught social studies and world language.

After refusing archdiocese’s order to fire gay teacher, school is told it will no longer be recognized as Catholic

In 2017, Payne-Elliott married a male teacher at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis. The archdiocese told both schools they no longer would be considered Catholic if they did not fire the teachers. Brebeuf refused to dismiss Payne-Elliott’s husband, who was not named, and Archbishop Charles C. Thompson issued a decree in June saying the school would no longer be recognized as Catholic. Cathedral, apparently to avoid the same fate, fired Payne-Elliott after trying to protect him for nearly two years.

Last month, the Vatican suspended Thompson’s decree against Brebeuf while the school appeals the archbishop’s decision.

Payne-Elliott then sued the archdiocese in Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis, saying it had discriminated against him and illegally interfered with the contract he had with Cathedral to teach. He is seeking compensation for lost earnings and benefits, as well as emotional distress.

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis makes clear on its website that the “Catholic Church believes marriage to be between a man and a woman,” and that teachers in its schools are “ministers” who “must uphold the teachings of the Church in their daily lives, both in and out of school.”

The Justice Department’s statement of interest says the First Amendment gives the church the right to CONTINUE READING: Trump administration sides with Catholic school that fired gay teacher - The Washington Post