Thursday, December 5, 2002

A story released today by the Associated Press reports that the Catholic Charities Maine announced yesterday that it will challenge the city's domestic partners ordinance in court.

The announcement surprised Portland officials, who believed they were close to a compromise that would have allowed the agency to retain $87,000 in federal housing and community development grants.

The compromise would have involved a health plan that provided benefits to one adult living with Catholic Charities employees. That person could have been a spouse, parent, domestic partner or some other adult.

Catholic Charities intends to forfeit the money, which was earmarked for counseling and child care programs and will try to raise the funds elsewhere.

Mayor James Cloutier said the agency's decision, while understandable, is regrettable.

''We'll defend our position and see what the court says,'' Cloutier said. ''But the city has no right, nor would it be moral or proper, to discriminate against people in the expenditure of public funds.''

The ordinance requires social service agencies that receive federal housing and community development funds through the city to offer domestic partners the same benefits available to spouses.

The ordinance does not apply to all contractors that work with the city. Councilors feared that such a broad ordinance would increase the cost of city projects and exclude many companies already working for the city.

Gene Libby, attorney for Catholic Charities Maine, said the ordinance is at odds with long-standing federal laws relating to employee benefits, equal rights and religious freedom.

Compliance with the ordinance would constitute a violation of Roman Catholic doctrine opposing homosexuality, cohabitation by unmarried couples and premarital sex, said John Kerry, chief executive officer of the social service agency.