Man says archdiocese fired him for trying to form LGBTQ group
Former pastoral associate says dismissal has him considering his ‘legal options’
I believe the denial of a prayer and support group for LGBTQ Catholics is unjust.
A former employee of the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton says the church fired him for attempting to form an LGBTQ prayer and support group without permission, and for refusing to say whether or not he was in a same-sex relationship.
Mark Guevarra said in a Facebook post Feb. 6 he was fired from the church after an investigation into a prayer group which he was working to form for LGBTQ Catholics without the approval of the archbishop. The investigation also looked into “the allegation” that he has a male partner with whom he has a daughter.
“They took my refusal to answer as sufficient evidence to prove that I am in one. Wherever you stand on the same-sex issue, I believe my termination is unjust,” he stated.
“I believe the denial of a prayer and support group for LGBTQ Catholics is unjust. I believe being terminated for conscientiously and respectfully disagreeing with a church teaching is a slippery slope for all church workers and therefore unjust.”
Guevarra declined to comment further Friday until he spoke to a lawyer next week. His LinkedIn profile says he was a pastoral associate at St. Matthew’s Roman Catholic Parish.
In a written statement, archdiocese chief communications officer Lorraine Turchansky acknowledged that a former employee had made public comments about his dismissal, but did not directly address Guevarra’s claims, citing privacy issues. She wrote that anyone who works for the archdiocese “agrees to live in accord with the teachings of the Catholic Church and its sacramental theology.”
Turchansky wrote that theology holds that marriage “is a sacrament, in which a man and a woman promise before God to enter into a committed, exclusive and permanent relationship.”
“It is particularly important, and understandable, that someone who serves in a leadership or teaching role in the church be a practising Catholic who lives in accord with its teachings,” she stated.
“In human rights legislation this is referred to as a ‘bona fide occupational requirement’ for a particular position.”
Guevarra wrote he would be looking for ways of responding to the firing, “including legal options.”
Susan Coombes with the Alberta Human Rights Commission said the Alberta Human Rights Act protects people on grounds including sexual orientation.
Sometimes a complaint can have “competing grounds.”
For example, there are public marriage commissioners who have said they will not marry people who are gay because of their religious beliefs.
“The case law says ‘Well, it’s your religious belief, but you are doing this duty on behalf of the province ... so that isn’t a choice that you have, to say you won’t do it because of (your) religious belief.’ ”
However, a priest who is employed by a religious organization can refuse to perform a same-sex marriage.
“Those would be all the kinds of things that would have to be looked at any time you’ve got a case where you’ve got competing grounds,” Coombes said.