Philadelphia Archbishop on Fired Gay Catholic School Teacher: It's 'Common Sense'

Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput has called the dismissal of a Main Line Catholic school teacher, due to her being in a same-sex marriage, a “simple matter of honesty” and “common sense.”

In a statement released on the archdiocese’s website Monday afternoon, Chaput said he was grateful to the leaders of Waldron Mercy Academy – who fired longtime educator Margie Winters last week after a parent complained about her same-sex marriage – for keeping “fully in accord with the teaching of the church.”

“Schools describing themselves as Catholic take on the responsibility of teaching and witnessing the Catholic faith in a manner true to Catholic belief,” read the statement. “There’s nothing complicated or controversial in this. It’s a simple matter of honesty.

“I’m very grateful to the Religious Sisters of Mercy and to the principal and board members of Waldron Mercy for taking the steps to ensure that the Catholic faith is presented in a way fully in accord with the teaching of the church,” Chaput adds. “They’ve shown character and common sense at a moment when both seem to be uncommon.”

Winters, who had been an educator and director of religious studies at the Waldron Mercy Academy for the past eight years, says she was dismissed after at least two parents learned of her marriage to her wife, Andrea Vettori. According to Winters, the school had known of their relationship since 2007.

The archbishop’s comments come two months before Pope Francis’ scheduled visit to Philadelphia. Francis in July 2013 was widely quoted as stating, “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?”

Despite the complaint that reportedly led to her dismissal, Winters has in the meantime enjoyed support from hundreds of parents, students and teachers, most recently at a prayer vigil on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a Go Fund Me page, created three days ago with the aim of helping to support Winters and her wife financially in the aftermath of losing her job, has so far raised more than $12,000.

Mercy Principal Nell Stetser altered parents of the decision in an email on Friday.

The email reportedly stated that the reasons for the dismissal were confidential, but later added that while “many of us accept life choices that contradict current church teachings,” those teachings must be followed in order to ”continue as a Catholic school.”

Stetser has released the following statement on Winters’ dismissal and the ensuing controversy:

“I cannot discuss a specific personnel matter. The primary consideration that guided my decision-making process was to sustain the Catholic identity of Waldron Mercy Academy. For the privilege of calling ourselves Catholic, we adhere to the teachings of the church.”