Tag Archives: Catholic Charities
Lawmakers to Vote on Same-Sex “Marriage” in January?
Multiple media sources are cheerfully reporting that supporters of marriage-redefinition may try to pass their same-sex “marriage” bill during the lame duck session of the General Assembly next month (January 3-9).
State Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago), who identifies as homosexual and is the chief sponsor of this anti-family legislation, used the lame duck session in 2010 to ram through a same-sex “civil unions” bill. It passed by razor-thin margins in part because many proponents of civil unions dishonestly promised lawmakers that the legalization of “civil unions” was all they wanted.
The ethically-challenged ACLU lobbied heavily for civil unions in 2010, …
Illinois’ Catholic Bishops Drop Civil Unions Lawsuit
Three of Illinois’ Catholic dioceses have decided to drop their lawsuits against the State of Illinois regarding the termination of foster care and adoption services contracts with their Catholic Charities affiliates.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services announced that it was revoking its contracts with the Catholic agencies because they refused to place children with same-sex and cohabiting “couples.” The state action followed passage by the Illinois Legislature of a new law legalizing same-sex “civil unions.”
The bishops of the Springfield, Joliet, and Belleville dioceses announced they were abandoning their legal action against the state because of the …
Urgent Catholic Charities Appeal
By Bob Kellogg
The Thomas More Society is appealing a decision that allows Illinois to discontinue its contract with Catholic Charities’ foster and adoption care services.
Tom Ciesielka, spokesman for the legal society, says action in this appeal is urgently needed. “Basically, Catholic Charities wants to put a hold on any possible transition of moving the children out of Catholic Charities into other foster-care providers,” he explains.
At issue is the new Illinois law that recognizes same-sex civil unions. Since Catholic Charities does not license same-sex or unmarried couples for adoption or foster care, referring them instead to other …
Higgins Responds to Anti-Christian Op/Ed in the Daily Herald
Responding to a letter-to-the-editor I sent in earlier this month in which I accuse the state of Illinois of being guilty of religious discrimination in shutting down Catholic Charities’ vital and laudable foster care and adoption work, the editors of The Daily Herald opined:
…When we wrote in this space that it was time for Illinois to have civil unions, we quoted Gov. Pat Quinn, who said we “need to encourage tolerance in this state.” And that’s just what the legislature did when it passed the law allowing for civil unions and what Quinn did when he signed it.
Catholic Charities & Religious Liberty Win Temporary Reprieve
Yesterday, IFI wrote about the decision by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to terminate all contracts with Catholic Charities in four Illinois dioceses. There is some good news to report: Sangamon County Circuit Judge John Schmidt has issued a preliminary injunction that will temporarily permit Catholic Charities to continue to serve children and families as per existing contracts. DCFS will not be permitted to terminate contracts between Catholic Charities in these four Illinois dioceses as it sought to do last Friday.
Also yesterday, IFI learned that State Senator David Koehler’s office sent out the following email …
