Sunday, March 27, 2011

Gay Priest Reaches Church Resolution

Father Jim St. George said in a statement on Monday he reached a "resolution" with the Roman Catholic church after he lost his job at Chestnut Hill College because he was gay.

"I am pleased to announce that I have reached an amicable resolution with Chestnut Hill College that will end this controversy. This resolution is consistent with each party's respective religious beliefs and was arrived at over this past weekend," said the statement, which identified St. George as a former adjunct professor.

"Chestnut Hill College and I have expressed our respect for each other's churches, however different our religious principles may be. We are committed to moving forward and tending to our respective ministries. Neither of us is interested in rehashing what has occurred in the past and we request that the media respect the privacy of this resolution and allow both parties to return to our respective missions."

Chestnut Hill is a private Roman Catholic institution and it said in late February it didn’t know Father St. George was gay when he was hired to teach.

Father St. George said at the time he was fully vetted when he was hired.

Father St. George is part of the Old Catholic Church Of The Americas, a faction that broke away from the Vatican back in 1870.

In his church, priests are allowed to marry and be gay.