Marquis LaFortune, 25, has filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she was fired as a teacher with the Central Catholic High School in San Antonio for marrying Benjamin Stakes — a divorced man. The Catholic church forbids such marriages and had warned her that she would have to chose between teaching and love. This raises some very interesting questions of free exercise under the First Amendment.
The English teacher was pulled into the principal’s office to discuss the “scandal” and to be given the warning about her choice of fiances.
LaFortune was asked if Stakes first marriage had been annulled according to Church doctrine — a process that can take a year. It had not been.
Brother Peter Pontolillo defended the action: “We have very clear policies on what we expect from Catholic people on our faculty, and there has been a violation of that. When a person does something that is obviously contrary to everything that our Catholic school stands for, we cannot just look through our fingers.”
He may have a point. While I believe that this action by the Church is appalling, I do believe that religious organizations have a right to enforce religious dictates and values. This is likely to be a recurring problem as more states incorporate sexual orientation as a protected category under anti-discrimination law. Religious organizations are often based on a type of discriminating beliefs. If a church refuses to hire a gay person or confines jobs to members of its religion, it is a form of discrimination but it is also an expression of their faith. The Salvation Army recently was criticized for firing an officer who wanted to marry outside the ranks.
LaFortune’s misfortune began with a simple announcement in the school newspaper, The Pep, which noted “In addition to gaining a new last name, Ms. LaFortune will also be inheriting a beautiful stepdaughter.” That led to inquiries on Stakes’ status. Ironically, if he had had the child out of wedlock, it would not have been a problem.
Deacon Patrick Cunningham confronted LaFortune and gave her the cruel trilemma of annulment, resignation, or termination.
She chose a fourth option: litigation.
For the full story, click here.
Once can hope that LaFortune loses her suit. EOC regulation do not and should not apply to religious organization if they contravene the moral doctrine of those organizations. I believe we have an amendment in constitution that guarantees such things.
“We have very clear policies on what we expect from Catholic people on our faculty, and there has been a violation of that. When a person does something that is obviously contrary to everything that our Catholic school stands for, we cannot just look through our fingers.”
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I’m with Brother Pontolillo. Now when can we fire all those Bishops who covered up sexual abuse by priests. Let’s start with Cardinal Bernard Law!
Mespo,
Right on. I think that LaFortune should use the Catholic Archbishop defense. That seems to work for them every time!
The classic part is that the marriage was in fact actually annulled! Sounds like you married a winner lady. (Just kidding.) The school acted totally out of line. She seems like a good teacher who the children loved.
“Religious organizations are often based on a type of discriminating beliefs.”
Love and peace for everyone!
Marrying a divorced man? No love for you!
People this hypocrite/retarded belong in a mental institution.
Jericho,
As gets pointed out to me on regular basis when I defend morality-based decisions, such things as Right and Wrong have little or no place in the Law, and the Law (especially constitutional law) is the focus of Prof. Turley’s blog.
The Catholic church has the constitutionally guaranteed right to hire and fire people based on their moral views. It’s called freedom o religion. The only way that it would be “right” under the law as I understand it to force them to keep her or pay her reparations would be if the school in question was receiving public funding, something which is quite doubtful.
Mercie,
Was the man’s previous marriage annulled by the Church or by some secular authority? If it was not annulled by the church, then that annulled is meaningless to the church.
Although that begs the follow-up question, was his previous marriage conducted within the church in the fist place? If it wasn’t, then it was invalid / nonexistent insofar a church doctrine is concerned and therefor would remove any standing for complaint against LaFortune under Canon law.
Having taught in school quite similiar to this one, there are many underlying issues to take into consideration. My questions focus on the other people involved in a global sense. As I stated in my blog post on this same article, I find it very hard to believe that there isn’t one teacher in the entire school who is not divorced. Going further, are there any non-teaching staff that are divorced? If the Church considered divorce immoral and those who commit this act as immoral, then should the church accept monetary donations from these individuals?
Going to the student body: Those boys are having premarital sex, are they being expelled? Those using drugs, are the being expelled? Drinking underage? How many come from divorced homes, are they being expelled because their parent remarried? Yet, the school still happily and willingly takes money, in the form of tuition and etc. from these people. Do they accept endowments, trusts or the like from alums who are divorced?
I can assure you that the answers to all of these questions are no.
The Church has a simple philosophy – Do as I say, not as I do. This is the reason why Catholics are leaving the Church in droves and fewer and fewer young men are interested in joining a brotherhood plagued by sexual scandal all the while preaching from the pulpit that we need to be Christ-like?
I wonder what Christ would say about the Church’s own hypocrisy …
Mary Ann,
You asked; “I wonder what Christ would say about the Church’s own hypocrisy …”
Since when has the Catholic church cared for anything that Christ said…?
That’s why they make their own rules. The Catholic Church has never been a Christian church. To be a Christian you have to follow Christ.
I went to CCHS. Aks about Mueller, “The Chloroform Kid” and Fitzsimmons, who screwed up a student’s life so badly the State of Texas put the man to death.