Catholic school fires administrator for advocating same-sex 'marriage'
CINCINNATI, February 12, 2013, (LifeSiteNews) – An administrator at a Cincinnati-area Catholic high school has been fired after refusing to retract statements he made on his blog in support of same-sex “marriage.”
On February 4, Purcell Marian High School Assistant Principal Mike Moroski was placed on administrative leave by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati after posting a blog entry on his personal website which stated that he “ethically, morally and legally” believed that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.
Former Assistant Principal Mike Moroski
According to Moroski, the archdiocese presented him with two choices: recant his statements about same-sex marriage and keep his job through June, or refuse and be fired. Moroski chose the second option, and the Archdiocese terminated his employment Monday.
Moroski, 34, admits that he violated the Archdiocese’s social media policy, as well as the morality clause in his employment contract, which requires him to “comply with and act consistently in accordance with the stated philosophy and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.”
Moroski told the Cincinnati Enquirer he “knew the statement I was making was not in accordance with Roman Catholic beliefs.” Still, he believes he should be excused for violating the letter of the law because he was “following his conscience.”
“I don't feel like I'm justifiably being taken away from working with the students,” Moroski told Local 12on Monday.
Moroski said he realized ahead of time that posting his support for same-sex “marriage” might upset other Catholics, including his employers. “I'd be remiss to say that I didn't think that a little bit,” Moroski said.
But, he added, “I never said anywhere in the post I think the church is wrong. I never in that post really, directly said I support gay marriage. I said I believe gay people should be allowed to be married.”
But, he added, “I never said anywhere in the post I think the church is wrong. I never in that post really, directly said I support gay marriage. I said I believe gay people should be allowed to be married.”
In his original post, dated January 27, Moroski wrote, “I unabashedly believe that gay people SHOULD be allowed to marry. Ethically, morally and legally I believe this. I spend a lot of my life trying to live as a Christian example of love for others, and my formation at Catholic grade school, high school, 3 Catholic Universities and employment at 2 Catholic high schools has informed my conscience to believe that gay marriage is NOT something of which to be afraid.”
Moroski told the Enquirer that while he “believes in Catholicism,” his “conscience will not permit” him to recant the statements he expressed on his blog.
The case has attracted national attention from homosexual activists and their supporters, and may end up jumpstarting Moroski’s nascent political career. (On his website, Moroski says he plans to run for Cincinnati City Council in 2017.) On Twitter, he celebrated his newfound notoriety, saying, “i have 1,969 followers now. funny, b/c it feels like 1969 [sic].” He lamented the hierarchy’s refusal to tailor its teachings to the times, writing “it's a shame that the ‘people of god’ and the ‘institutional church’ appear to be splitting. a shame. [sic]”
