As a consequence of the US Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling June 17 in Fulton v. Philadelphia, faith-based and other agencies across the country may not be forced by a government agency to violate their deeply held beliefs against placing children in households led by same-sex or cohabitating adults.
In a decision seen as a victory for religious freedom in the United States, the court ruled the city of Philadelphia acted improperly and violated the Church’s First Amendment rights when it ceased referring foster children to Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia three years ago because of the agency’s practice of not placing children in same-sex households.
Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Pérez said the ruling was a victory for at-risk children and he noted the contributions of “foster parents who give of themselves freely”.
He also said the work of Catholic social ministry would continue beyond that of foster care as it has in the archdiocese through “pioneering programs” for more than 200 years.
“The Catholic Church in Philadelphia is steadfast in its commitment to continue serving the temporal and spiritual needs of all – now and for the long term,” Archbishop Pérez said. “We have partnered successfully with city government to serve the people of Philadelphia many times, and we look forward to continuing a fruitful partnership in the future.”
Because of the court’s ruling the archdiocese can continue serving those in need, and it protects “our enshrined right to religious freedom and celebrates the rich diversity of religious beliefs in the United States,” he said.
“Religious ministries,” he concluded, “cannot be forced to abandon their beliefs as the price for ministering to those in need. We can all live and work peacefully, side-by-side, to create a better and brighter future for all of our children.”
The agency then appealed to the high court, resulting in the decision the morning of June 17.