Catholics Need Not Apply

I try not to be taken aback anymore when I hear someone (generally from one of America's homegrown denominations of Christianity) reveal their view that Catholics aren't Christian and proceed to give a list of very nebulous and nonsensical reasons. On more than one occassion, they've pointed to a site which produces religious tracts as their source. They would be funny if they weren't so scary and if people didn't believe them. The Catholic Church is aware of them but I don't think that most Catholics have a clue that so many people are running around with such crazy ideas about the faith. I'll bet that this adoption agency has some sort of misguided reason for why they feel Catholicism conflicts with their 'Statement of Faith.'

"A Christian adoption agency that receives money from Choose Life license plate fees said it does not place children with Roman Catholic couples because their religion conflicts with the agency's 'Statement of Faith.'

Bethany Christian Services stated the policy in a letter to a Jackson couple this month, and another Mississippi couple said they were rejected for the same reason last year.

'It has been our understanding that Catholicism does not agree with our Statement of Faith,' Bethany's state director Karen Stewart wrote. 'Our practice to not accept applications from Catholics was an effort to be good stewards of an adoptive applicant's time, money and emotional energy.'

Sandy and Robert Steadman, who learned of Bethany's decision in a July 8 letter, said their priest told them the faith statement did not conflict with Catholic teaching.

Loria Williams of nearby Ridgeland said she and her husband, Wes, had a similar experience when they started to pursue an adoption in September 2004.

'I can't believe an agency that's nationwide would act like this,' Loria Williams said. 'There was an agency who was Christian based but wasn't willing to help people across the board.'

Bethany, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., has 75 offices in 30 states, including three in Mississippi. The offices are independently incorporated and are affiliated with various religions, spokesman John Van Valkenburg said from the agency headquarters. He couldn't say whether any were Catholic-affiliated.

He said the Jackson office is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church of America.

'They included this practice of not including Catholics,' Van Valkenburg said Friday."

(link via atrios)