Catholic Church and same-sex “marriage”: A threat to social service contracts in D.C.?

Patrick J. Deneen, Associate Professor of Government at Georgetown University, discusses the Washington Post article, “Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum“: “I think the basic premise of the Post’s story requires clarification. The premise of today’s story was that the Catholic Church was threatening to cease to provide charitable services if the law legalizing gay marriage is passed. In point of fact, it is the DC government that would cease to license or contract with the Church unless the Church conformed to a definition of marriage that violates its faith tradition. Without a set of broader legal exemptions allowing for the Church to remain faithful to its definition of marriage, it will cease to be permitted by the City to provide the contracted and licensed services that it has for well over a century. The Church’s fundamental desire in this controversy is to continue its desire and freedom to serve.”