News

By Hilary White

SOUTH ORANGE, New Jersey, November 1, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Catholic university in New Jersey is under attack for censuring a homosexual activist on its faculty. A report from the Associated Press says that an associate dean at Seton Hall Univeristy, W. King Mott, was demoted for writing a letter published Oct. 19 in Newark’s Star-Ledger attacking the Church’s teaching on human sexuality.

In his letter, Mott accused the Church of “scapegoating” homosexuals for what he called the “pedophile scandal” of priests sexually molesting young men and boys. The day after the letter appeared, Molly Smith, the school’s dean, asked Mott to step down from his position as associate dean saying he had confused his stance with the school’s.

Mott has complained that the university is quashing debate. He said to the press, “A university ought to be a sanctuary for the expression of ideas, diverse ideas, contrary ideas.”

The University, however, said that the problem was not in Mott expressing his private views on homosexuality and Church teaching, but that he had associated his views with those of the University. “Clearly, it is inappropriate to speak against the Catholic Church or its policies as if representing Seton Hall University,” University spokesman Tom White said. “If a university employee does this as Joe Q. Public, it’s a different matter altogether.”

In his letter to the Star Ledger, Mott wrote, “Once again the Catholic hierarchy attacks gay men as a scapegoat for what is truly unacceptable behavior: permitting and hiding pedophiles within the priesthood. It is incredible that an informed curia does not understand this distinction”

The Catholic hierarchy, however, cannot ignore the report of an investigation into the sex abuse scandals that showed over 80% of the victims were young men and boys who had been attacked by priests with strong homosexual tendencies.

Though Mott worked at Seton Hall for seven years, he was in open opposition to its teachings. “The Roman Catholic Church is prima facie homophobic,” he told the press. “The Roman Catholic Church considers me to be inherently disordered. I don’t know how much more homophobic one can be.”

Before Seton, Mott was an assistant professor at another Catholic college, the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Mott said that Seton Hall was aware that he was a homosexual, but he had not told them he lived with a man.