Curley defends Catholic high school in departure of gay vice principal

The departure of a popular vice principal at Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish because of his gay marriage and protest by students has gotten worldwide attention, with plenty of criticism for the school and Catholic Church.

But Friday on the Tom and Curley Show, KIRO Radio’s John Curley defended both and pointed out the teacher voluntarily signed an employment agreement in which he committed to upholding Church values. And regardless of how anyone feels about same sex marriage, Curley argues the administrator knew what he was signing up for, and violated that agreement:

“When you sign on to be a member of a club, whatever that club is, you live and you exist within the rules and regulations of that club. If you’re going to play golf at the TPC, you’re going to play with a collar. They don’t want you in a “wife-beater” if you play any one of these fine golf courses. There are certain rules and you abide by them.

At the ridiculous Philadelphia Country Club, women are not allowed to play golf until Saturdays at like 4 p.m. That’s the stupid rules of the stupid club that you spend $50,000 to be a part of.

If you want to be a Catholic, here are some of the rules: no divorce, no vasectomy, no birth control, no abortion, no communion before you get absolution. These are the rules. You signed up. Here you go. Now which one do you want to ignore? Do you want to ignore that rule or this rule? Okay, then you have to say to yourself ‘are you still a member of this club?’ Either you’re all in or you’re all out.

When he signed on he got a piece of paper, from what I understand, and in the contract it was ‘look, these are the rules. If you violate the rules like any other contract, we can kick you out.’

It’s unfortunate. Do I think it’s tolerant? No. Is it antiquated? Yes, in today’s society. But this is the way the Church is. Maybe five or ten years from now they’ll start to change and loosen up those rules a little bit. And maybe they’ll allow for people in a “don’t ask, don’t tell” perspective. But as it is right now, those are the rules, that’s how they write them. That’s what you have to live by.”

Taken from Friday’s edition of the Tom and Curley Show

JK