Bishop Tobin: Catholic Church Had “No Choice” in Firing Gay Music Director

Bishop Tobin: Catholic Church Had “No Choice” in Firing Gay Music Director

In the wake of a Providence Catholic church firing its music director for his gay marriage, the office of Bishop Thomas Tobin in the Diocese of Providence said that he would not comment on personnel matters at the parish level, but instead offered a blanket statement from the Diocese. 

Michael Templeton, the Music Director at the Church of St. Mary in Providence, was fired on Monday from the position he held for over five years with church, for what he said was his marriage to his male partner. 

The statement attributed to the Diocese of Providence, headed by Tobin, says that a church has “no choice” but to act when an individual “knowingly enters into a relationship…that contradicts the core teachings of the Church.” 

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Statement from the Diocese

"Any person who holds a ministerial position in the Church, as an employee or volunteer, is expected to live in a way that is fully consistent with the teachings and faith of the church. If an individual deliberately and knowingly enters in a relationship or engages in activity that contradicts the core teachings of the Church, that individual leaves the Church no choice to respond."

Read the piece: Gay Marriage Sparks RI Catholic Church to Fire Music Director