PERTH, Australia, November 16, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Edith Cowan University in Australia has dismissed a Roman Catholic priest for signing a pro-family ad urging the state government not to demean marriage by giving Homosexual relations the same legal recognition. Cybercast News Service (CNS) reports that the university said in a letter to the Catholic Archbishop of Perth, Barry Hickey, that it would no longer require the services of Fr. David Watt, a visiting chaplain not paid by the university, because of his “recent public actions.”
Fr. Watt added his name to the ad published in The West Australian with his name and gave his position as “Catholic chaplain to Edith Cowan University.” The ad read: “Marriage and homosexual relationships are not equivalent and therefore should not be treated as equivalent under the law.” University vice-chancellor Prof. Millicent Poole said Fr. Watt’s mentioning of his position at the University misrepresented the university position on the issue.
CNS’s Patrick Goodenough reports that Archbishop Hickey, who also signed the ad (likely including his position as Archbishop of Perth), hopes to meet with university representatives to discuss the matter further.
To express your concerns to university vice-chancellor Poole email: [email protected]
For more see the CNS news coverage at: https://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=ForeignBureausarchive