<div dir="ltr">
<h1 class="gmail-art-title">Catholic parish faces human rights tribunal for refusing to allow LGBT event at parish hall</h1>
<div class="gmail-art-subtitle">The pro-gay group insists that
the church 'singled out' the group as not welcome to use the church
space to promote homosexuality.</div>
<div class="gmail-date-share">
<div class="gmail-single-art-date">
<span class="gmail-art-date">Tue Jun 2, 2020 - 10:56 am EST</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="gmail-article-featured-image-ctr"><span class="gmail-author-name gmail-author-name-lg">by Anthony Murdoch</span>
</div><div class="gmail-single-article-ctr"><div class="gmail-single-article-author-lg gmail-col-sm-2"><div class="gmail-author gmail-author-large"><div style="text-align:center;margin:auto">
</div>
</div>
<hr class="gmail-author-divider">
</div>
<div class="gmail-col-sm-10">
<div class="gmail-article-text-wrapper gmail-single-article-body">
<p>WHITE ROCK, British Columbia, June 2, 2020 (<a href="http://www.lifesitenews.com/">LifeSiteNews</a>)
— An adjudicator has ruled that <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">a Canadian Catholic church </span>must now
face a human rights hearing for <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">refusing </span>to allow an LGBT “Pride” group
to hold a fundraising event <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">at its parish hall</span> last year, </b></span>according <a href="https://www.blacklocks.ca/parish-hall-v-pride-society/">to a May 28 </a><a href="https://www.blacklocks.ca/parish-hall-v-pride-society/"><em>Blacklock’s Reporter</em></a><a href="https://www.blacklocks.ca/parish-hall-v-pride-society/"> report</a>.</p>
<p>In March of 2019, the Star of the Sea Catholic Church in White Rock
British Columbia refused an application from the White Rock Pride
Society <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>to host a “Love Is Love” ”Pride Week<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">”</span></b><b> fundraiser</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>at the church’s
parish hall, which is located next to the church.</b></span></p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>As a result, the White Rock Pride Society filed a complaint to<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"> </span></b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>the
B.C. Human Rights Tribunal </b></span>in June 2019, saying the church “singled out”
the group as not welcome to use the church space, despite other groups
being allowed to use it.</p>
<p>"In doing so ... the parish damaged the inherent dignity, feelings
and self-respect of the pride society's members, who identify as part of
and support the LGBTQ+ community,” said the society president, Ernie
Klassen, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pride-society-discrimination-1.5161427">in a June 2019 CBC report</a>.</p>
<p>Kathleen Smith, an adjudicator for the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal,
said she decided that a full hearing is needed to resolve the dispute in
her May 26 ruling.</p>
<p>“There are significant facts and issues in dispute. The case is
complicated however by the fact the parish makes a part of its space
available to those outside of its Catholic community,” said Smith
according to the <em>Blacklock’s </em>report.</p>
<p>“I agree with the Society that a determination about reasonable
accommodation short of undue hardship requires the careful examination
[of] complex and nuanced issues, including the meaning of Pride, as well
as the competing rights of the parties in this case. In my view, these
issues cannot be determined on this application and require a full
hearing,” said Smith in her ruling, as <a href="https://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/human-rights-tribunal-denies-churchs-request-to-toss-out-white-rock-pride-societys-complaint/">reported in a local news report</a>.</p>
<p class="gmail-callout" style="background-color:rgb(196,1,35);color:white"><em><strong>DROP Disney+: New teen film 'Out' features openly homosexual main character! <a href="https://lifepetitions.com/petition/drop-disney-new-teen-film-out-features-openly-homosexual-main-character" style="color:white;text-decoration:underline">Sign the petition here.</a></strong></em></p>
<p>Star of the Sea Parish and the Archdiocese of Vancouver had asked for
the complaint to be dismissed, but this request was rejected, according
to the local news report.</p>
<p>According to <em>Blacklock’s Reporter</em>, lawyers for <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>the
Archdiocese of Vancouver said to</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>the tribunal,</b></span> “<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>Religious centres must
be allowed to exist as protected spaces both for the faithful and the
religious institutions that serve them who can rest assured their space
is not<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"> being used for purposes which are contrary to</span> the moral teachings
of their faith.”</b></span></p></div></div></div><p>The <em>Blacklock’s</em> report says Star of the Sea Catholic Church
raised concerns that<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b> the banquet would have featured “drag queens” and
“same-sex dancing.”</b></span></p>
<p>The same report noted that lawyers for the Archdiocese of Vancouver
in a June 2019 email to the White Rock Pride Society said the group's
use of the hall would “encourage and support a homosexual lifestyle,”
which is against the Catholic faith.</p>
<p>“The proposed use is contrary to the practices, teachings and morals
of the Catholic faith as the purpose of Pride and the dinner and dance
fundraising event is to encourage and support a homosexual lifestyle,”
said Church lawyers to the pride group.</p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches tha</b></span>t <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>homosexual acts are
“acts of grave depravity” that are “intrinsically disordered” and
“contrary to</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>the natural law.”</b></span></p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>The Catechism calls for “respect, compassion, and sensitivity” for
those</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>struggling with</b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b> same-sex attraction </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>but notes that “respect for
homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>approval of homosexual
behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions.”</b></span></p>
<p>No date has been set for the hearing. LifeSiteNews contacted the
pastor of Star of the Sea Catholic Church but as of press time has not
heard back. </p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>has a history of rulings that go contrary to </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>religious liberties.</b></span></p>
<p>LifeSiteNews <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/photos-of-port-coquitlam-bc-knights-of-columbus-hall-dispute-lesbians-claim">reported in 2005</a>
that two lesbians were awarded damages from the B.C. Human Rights
Tribunal for being denied a Knights of Columbus hall rental for their
same-sex “lesbian wedding reception.”</p>
</div>