How can we reconcile religious freedom and the rights of workers at Catholic institutions?

In an important legal decision at the intersection of worker rights and religious freedom, the Supreme Court has ruled that Catholic school teachers are not protected from employment discrimination due to age or disability, because the first amendment forbids the US government from interfering in religious institutions.

The decision addressed two cases at different schools in the Los Angeles area. The late Kristen Biel, a teacher at St. James School was let go after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Agnes Morrissey-Berru, a teacher at Our Lady of Guadalupe School, sued for age discrimination after her contract was not renewed. A 7-2 majority of the court ruled that both teachers qualified for the “ministerial exemption” from discrimination laws because religious instruction is among their duties.

These are difficult cases. The USCCB understandably hailed the ruling as a vindication of religious freedom principles, but it’s unfortunate their statement didn’t acknowledge the rights of workers in any fashion at all. The legal right of Catholic institutions to discriminate according to age or disability may be an undesired consequence of a zealous defense of religious freedom, but it should temper our celebration of the outcome. Although I can’t speak to the merits of either teacher’s claim, all of us should be wary of a system that makes the employer judge in his own cause, as this decision does.

The Bishop’s 1986 Pastoral Letter Economic Justice for All includes a section on “The Church as Economic Actor” with specific reference to the Church’s practices as an employer. The Bishops observe that “All the moral principles that govern the just operation of any economic endeavor apply to the Church and its agencies and institutions; indeed the Church should be exemplary [347].”

The current situation is far from exemplary. The Bishops state that Church employees have the right to organize in unions [353], but employers such as St. Xavier University in Chicago bust faculty unions at will. The Bishops oppose discrimination in employment, but those with a claim of discrimination have no place to turn for a fair hearing. If we are to reconcile our religious freedom with our social doctrine, it is beyond time for the Church to establish a bill of rights for employees of Catholic institutions and a forum where those whose rights have been violated can press their claims.

5 replies
  1. Kristin Demree
    Kristin Demree says:

    This is DEFINITELY not a WWJD moment! Appalling! How shameful that it would be our spiritual leaders who are practicing discrimination! Since when do the rights of the religious institution supersede the rights of the citizens?!

  2. Joan D'Arcy Sheridan
    Joan D'Arcy Sheridan says:

    I FEEL THE TEACHERS WERE TREATED UNFAIRLY. HOW HORRIBLE TO BE FIRED BECAUSE YOU HAVE BREAST CANCER. DON’T TEACH IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS MAKE SENSE TO ME

  3. Allan B. Darr
    Allan B. Darr says:

    I can no longer reconcile my charitable giving with the fact that Catholic schools discriminate.
    It recently ocurred in my state of Washington. Catholic schools should not be hanging out in the bedrooms of their teachers.
    They do and irrespective of the SCOUS ruling, what would Jesus say!
    I will be providing my tithing to organizations who live their faith.
    I am so disgusted by the unchristian actions of so called, Christians.

  4. Douglas Domingo-Forasté
    Douglas Domingo-Forasté says:

    At St. James Parish School in Torrance, CA, from which the teacher was fired when she informed the administration she needed to take time off for breast cancer treatment, the two religious sisters in charge embezzled more than $500,000 for their Las Vegas gambling habits (pun intended). Geez, no wonder they had to act like a raging capitalists. They couldn’t afford to hire a substitute and waste all that money after those Vegas losses! Priorities. (Again, pun intended).

    https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-torrance-catholic-school-lawsuit-nuns-20190105-story.html

  5. Mark Barrios
    Mark Barrios says:

    This really disturbs me. How un-Christian. I have been active in my union and in the AFL-CIO all my life. During my pre Katrina years when I was a New Orleans delegate, the Jesuits ministered to the New Orleans AFL-CIO-CLC, providing education and guidance. I was proud to be Catholic. The sex abuse scandals have shaken me, and now this. I pray daily for a complete reform, reconciliation, and purge of the Catholic Church.

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