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The HRC Is Asking Pope Francis To Condemn The Firing Of LGBT Catholic School Teachers

Pope Francis waves to crowds as he arrives to his inauguration mass on 19 March 2013.Awesome teachers across the country are still losing their jobs because they’re queer. It’s a particular issue at religious schools, so the Human Rights Campaign has cooked up a little scheme to try and fix it — they’re sending a letter to Pope Francis to ask him to stop firing all his good teachers.

Technically, the letter goes to the Holy See, which is the governing body in the Vatican. The Holy See will then communicate HRC’s message to Pope Francis, who will (hopefully) take a second to consider it.

Schools across the country (most recently Cincinnati and Oakland) have dismissed great teachers for their involvement with the “homosexual lifestyle” (ugh). The problem is so bad, some have even been straight — Molly Shumate, a Catholic school teacher whose son is gay, resigned in protest over the policy requiring that she reject her own kid.

Here’s an excerpt from the HRC’s letter to the Holy See:

We have devoted years, some olif us even decades, to serving our communities as teachers, leaders and role models. We have made a conscious choice to work within the Catholic Church because we strongly believe that a Catholic education prepares our young people to be responsible citizens, men and women for others. For each and every one of us, our employment was far more than just a job – it was a reflection of core Catholic values.

It goes on:

After each termination, school and Church officials have told us we violate Catholic Church teachings on homosexuality. Yet, such directives have not only caused great harm to our families, but also contradict your pastoral priority for the Church to reflect the beauty of God in ways that attract and entice rather than alienate.

That’s hitting the Church where it’s vulnerable: that “entice rather than alienate” certainly calls to mind that the Church is shedding young people at an incredible rate. Church officials know that their attitudes on topics like LGBT equality are partially to blame for dwindling membership.

We ask for a Papal audience with our families, so that you may hear our personal stories firsthand and see the impact the Church’s actions have had on us all.

Does this actually have a chance of working? Eh, maybe, who knows. Pope Francis certainly has been open to meeting with unexpected people. But even if this letter is ignored by the Pope, it’ll certainly make the rounds in American religious circles.

And that’s where lines like “entice rather than alienate” might have the most impact. Sure is a nice religion you got there, would be a shame if everyone kept leaving it.

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