Roman Catholic bishops on Friday criticized President Biden’s recent executive order on the application of anti-discrimination protections to certain groups, arguing that it did not adequately explain religious freedom and promoted “false theories about human sexuality”.
Wednesday’s order, they said, “threatens to infringe the rights of people who recognize the truth of sexual difference or who advocate the institution of lifelong marriage between a man and a woman. This can manifest itself in mandates that, for example, erode health awareness rights or sex-specific spaces and activities needed and time-honored
Signed by bishops across the country, the statement represented another sharp disagreement that the Church’s leadership had with the second president of the United States to be identified as a Roman Catholic.
The executive order referred to the Supreme Court decision last year in Bostock v. Clayton County, in which Judge Neil Gorsuch issued a controversial opinion on what is protected by sex-based anti-discrimination law.
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“In Bostock v. Clayton County, 590 US ___ (2020), the Supreme Court found that Title VII ‘discrimination prohibition due to […] sex ‘covers discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation “, the order said.
The bishops argued, however, that the executive order did not leave as much flexibility for religious entities as the Court.
“Everyone has the right to gainful employment, education and basic human services, free from unfair discrimination,” says the bishops’ statement.
“That right must be protected. Bostock’s decision by the Supreme Court, however, unnecessarily ignored the integrity of God’s creation of the two complementary sexes, male and female, with reasoning that treated them as meaningless. Executive order of fourth on discrimination by ‘sex’ exceeds the Court’s decision. “
They added that Biden was confusing “the goal of racial equality … with the imposition of new attitudes and false theories about human sexuality that can produce social harm”.
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The head of the United States Catholic Bishops’ Conference (USCCB) previously criticized Biden’s position on abortion and other issues, saying he “would promote moral ills and threaten human life”. When asked about Biden’s abortion policies on Wednesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president was a “devout Catholic”.
Biden’s identification as a Catholic is under intense scrutiny by some due to his public defense and activity. For example, he previously chaired a same-sex marriage ceremony, although the Church has long condemned homosexuality. The Catechism says: “Based on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always stated that ‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disorderly’,” he said referring to a document from the Congregation for the Doctrine da Fé. “They are contrary to natural law,” he added.
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He adds that individuals with “deep homosexual tendencies” “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Any sign of unfair discrimination towards them must be avoided”.
However, Catholic doctrine also emphasizes the importance of religious freedom, stating: “The right to exercise freedom, especially in religious and moral matters, is an inalienable requirement of human dignity. But the exercise of freedom does not entail the putative right to say or do anything. “