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Showing posts with the label Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle

Judge refuses to toss suit against Catholic school that fired teacher for ‘marrying’ gay partner

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SEATTLE, WA , May 29, 2014  – A Washington judge last week denied a request by Eastside Catholic School and the Archdiocese of Seattle to dismiss a  discrimination lawsuit  filed by the school’s former vice principal, who was forced to resign in December for “ marrying ” his homosexual lover. Mark Zmuda sued Eastside Catholic in March, claiming the school violated its own discrimination policy in asking him to leave his job.  But the school has repeatedly pointed to the morality clause Zmuda and all diocesan employees have signed, agreeing to publicly uphold the teachings of the Catholic faith , which expressly forbid same-sex “marriage.” School and archdiocesan attorneys asked King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer to toss out the suit, arguing that the court had no jurisdiction to rule on the case without violating the school’s first amendment right to freedom of religion.   But in a decision issued Friday, Shaffer disagreed, writing, “The Federal and Supr

Gay vice principal sues Seattle archdiocese, Catholic school over alleged forced resignation

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SEATTLE, WA , March 12, 2014 ( LifeSiteNews.com ) – The former vice principal of  Eastside Catholic High School  in Sammamish, Washington , is  suing the Archdiocese of Seattle and the school  for wrongful termination and discrimination after he was reportedly forced to resign as a result of his same-sex “marriage.” Mark Zmuda, who had been at the school for 18 months, “married” his boyfriend, Dana Jergens, in July 2013, following the  legalization of same-sex “marriage” in Washington State .  Mark Zmuda (L) with his same-sex "spouse" Representatives for the school have  filed a motion  to dismiss the case, stating that “[the] Plaintiff’s action should be dismissed because the Court does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate Plaintiff’s claims without violating the First Amendment .” “This is another example of people using the media to try and drum up public sentiments that the Catholic Church is anti-gay,” said John Mulvey, a policy analyst for the Catholic L

Seattle Catholic vice principal fired over same-sex ‘marriage’ plans to sue

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Eastside Catholic School Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) March 10, 2014 ( The Cardinal Newman Society ) - The former vice principal of Eastside Catholic High School announced yesterday that he plans to file a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Seattle and the School for his firing after it was learned he married his same-sex partner, according to The Houston Chronicle . Mark Zmuda was reportedly forced to resign in December. The school had stated that Zmuda had signed an employment agreement to act in accordance with the values and teachings of the Catholic Church . By legally marrying his same-sex partner, he broke that agreement, according to the School. Many students at the School almost immediately responded by creating an online petition and calling on the Catholic Church to end its opposition to same-sex marriage, as was  reported .  The lawsuit, which is expected to be filed in King County Superior Court today, claims that the Archdiocese and the School discrimina

Catholic high school keeps lesbian drama coach about to ‘marry’ after dismissing gay vice-principal

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SAMMAMISH, WA , January 10, 2014 ( LifeSiteNews.com ) – A Catholic school in Seattle is allowing a lesbian drama coach to keep her part-time job after taking international flak for successfully demanding the resignation of its vice principal after he  violated his hiring contract by entering into “marriage” with another man . The move puts officials at Eastside Catholic School ’s (ECS) at odds with the Archdiocese of Seattle , which oversaw the removal of gay vice-principal Mark Zmuda in December. Zmuda, an administrator and swim coach, was popular among students. His December 20 resignation provoked a mass demonstration among students who demanded he be reinstated, as LifeSiteNews.com  reported  earlier this week. The day after Zmuda submitted his resignation, drama coach Stephanie Merrow publicly announced she was lesbian and engaged to “marry” her partner. Merrow said she made her lesbian engagement public to support the student protests. “It was the kids. I was ext

Archbishop: Gay ‘marriage’ would leave the family ‘harmed beyond repair’

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SEATTLE, September 20, 2012, ( LifeSiteNews.com ) – Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle has warned, if Washington state’s marriage amendment redefining marriage passes this November, “the very foundational nature of marriage for the good and strength of society would be harmed beyond repair.” Archbishop J. Peter Sartain The archbishop released a new video explaining why Washington voters should reject Referendum R-74, which defines marriage as a “civil contract between two persons.” “Marriage cannot be defined,” he said. If state voters approve the measure, it would devalue the institution of marriage . “In effect, this new law is saying that the loving, permanent and faithful union of a man and woman in marriage…are only of relative importance rather than being fundamental to the existence and well-being of society as a whole.” He forcefully rejected the notion that opposition to the amendment was based on bigotry. “ Redefining marriage as a means of dealing wi