As it turns out, one of the perpetrators of the crime was a high school basketball coach at Philadelphia Catholic High School. He lost his job after the fiasco. He reportedly "resigned" for his involvement in the matter, but it probably wasn't much of a personal choice for him.
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| image courtesy of catholicvote.org |
The Archbishop of Philadelphia also issued this statement:
"A key part of a Catholic education is forming students to respect the dignity of every human person whether we agree with them or not. What students do with that formation when they enter the adult world determines their own maturity and dignity, or their lack of it. Violence against anyone, simply because of who they are, is inexcusable and alien to what it means to be a Christian. A recent beating incident in Center City allegedly involved, in some way, a part-time coach at Archbishop Wood High School. After inquiries by school leadership, the coach was contacted regarding the matter and he resigned. Archbishop Wood's handling of the matter was appropriate, and I support their efforts to ensure that Catholic convictions guide the behavior of their whole school community, including their staff."
-- Archbishop Charles J. Chaput
Very cool, and I totally agree that respecting the dignity of every human being is essential in making this world a better place. Whether we agree with how they live or not. Violence is never the answer, and can only make matters worse.
Some people have criticized this statement by saying that the Archbishop didn't say a single word of support for the victims, and didn't even use the word "gay" once. Now I don't know the Archbishop personally, and I have no idea what his stance on gay rights is, but we should probably give him props for clarifying that Christianity is not about hatred and violence. Baby steps, ladies and gentlemen.
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