State’s bishops affirm BSA’s mission, pledge to monitor policy developments

SEATTLE

“The Catholic Church teaches that all people are to be treated with dignity and respect,” the bishops of Washington state wrote in a statement in response to the Boy Scouts’ vote in May to admit homosexual youth into their ranks.

“The recent change in the membership policy of the Boy Scouts of America does not affect the teachings of the Catholic Church or the manner in which the Catholic parishes in Washington State conduct the scouting programs under their sponsorship,” according to the statement posted June 21 on the websites of all three dioceses in Washington.

In a May 29 statement on the subject, Edward Martin, the head of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, said the BSA policy change is not in conflict with Catholic teaching.

Martin said he wrote the message after several discussions, including with Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone of Charleston, S.C., liaison to the committee for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Father Michael Hanifin, national chaplain for Catholic scouting.

The statement by Washington state’s bishops said they do not anticipate any change in their approach to Scouting programs but “will continue to review any developments or updates that may be issued by the Boy Scouts of America.”

Respects teachings Martin said the Catholic committee is a member of the organization's Religious Relationships Task Force. In that advisory role, he said, the committee had expressed its concerns, including listing references to Catholic teaching, during a listening period established by the Scouts after it announced it was considering the policy change.

The resolution appeared to respect those teachings and BSA's responses to our concerns were satisfactory, Martin said. We felt that the Catholic Scouters selected as voters could, in good conscience, vote either for or against the resolution.

Martin cited section 2358 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in accepting the new policy: Individuals who disclose a homosexual inclination or a same-sex attraction are to be treated with the same dignity due all human beings created by God, he said.

The statement approved in Washington by Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, Bishop Blase Cupich of the Spokane Diocese, Yakima Bishop Joseph Tyson and Seattle Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo noted the mission of Scouting programs.

“Scouting programs seek to instill the importance of duty to God and country, and groups chartered through the Catholic Church witness to the faith while providing youth a valuable and well-rounded opportunity for involvement in the life of the local parish and community,” the statement said. “The values set forth in the Scout Oath and Law are fundamental to the Boy Scouts of America and central to teaching young people to make better choices over their lifetimes.”

‘Seek understanding, pray for wisdom’Martin said that over the next couple of months, the National Catholic Committee on Scouting will develop a task force to help Catholic Scouters, dioceses, parishes and the media understand the change, including an online series of questions and answers to help Catholics understand the issues associated with the policy change.

At least one pastor in Washington state, Father Derek Lappe of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Bremerton, decided to disaffiliate with the Boy Scouts because of the policy change.

Father Lappe said in a statement on the parish website that the decision to end the parish’s affiliation with the BSA was made in consultation with the Scoutmasters from the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, and the sponsoring organization, the local Knights of Columbus Council. Both groups approved the decision, he said.

Father Lappe said the parish is making families and youth who would like to continue in Scouting aware of other local troops.

Martin encouraged Catholics involved in Scouting to seek understanding of the resolution, the church's teaching on the subject, and to pray for wisdom.”

Mark Pattison of Catholic News Service contributed to this report.

June 27, 2013