On Sunday, officials at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, announced that they had fired a teacher who is gay.
In a letter published on the school's website, Chairman of the Board of Directors Matt Cohoat and President Rob Bridges elaborated on the "agonizing decision" that took 22 months to make.
"It is Archbishop Thompson's responsibility to oversee faith and morals as related to Catholic identity within the Archdiocese of Indianapolis," the letter said. "Archbishop Thompson made it clear that Cathedral's continued employment of a teacher in a public, same-sex marriage would result in our forfeiting our Catholic identity due to our employment of an individual living in contradiction to Catholic teaching on marriage."
It continued adding that the school were to lose it's "Catholic identity" people could subsequently "could no longer refer to Cathedral as a Catholic school." It would also lose its status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit school, according to the letter.
"For every Catholic, the celebration of the Sacraments is central to the life of faith. Similarly, as a Catholic community, the celebration of the Sacraments is essential for Cathedral," the letter said. "Therefore, in order to remain a Catholic Holy Cross School, Cathedral must follow the direct guidance given to us by Archbishop Thompson and separate from the teacher."
This news comes after Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, also in Indianapolis, Indiana, made news last week for refusing to fire a teacher who is in a same-sex marriage, thereby losing its Catholic distinction.
Brebeuf decided to not follow Archbishop Thompson's directive because it "would not only violate our informed conscience on this particular matter, but also set a concerning precedent for future interference in the school's operations," officials explained in a letter.
Following Cathedral High School's announcement of its decision, a Change.org petition began to circulate online which said that the larger Cathedral community felt that the "decision is simply not acceptable." As of Monday afternoon, it had reached 5,000 signatories of its goal of 7,500.
The school officials said that it offers "prayers and love to this teacher, our students and faculty, our Archbishop, and all associated with Cathedral."
"We ask that dialogue about this difficult situation be respectful of the dignity of every person and that you continue to pray for our Cathedral family and the wider Indianapolis community," the letter concludes.
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