He took responsibility for his mistake.
The resignation of a Catholic church pastor in Michigan has stirred controversy following criticism of his handling of a situation involving a same-sex author reading to children at the parish school. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saginaw in Michigan confirmed the resignation of Fr. Thomas Held from St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Beal City. The announcement came amid concerns that unity within the parish was compromised, prompting Held to step down immediately.
Bishop Robert Gruss expressed regret over the division within the parish community, emphasizing the importance of unity, particularly in the context of the Easter celebration. The controversy stemmed from a now-deleted Facebook post by Held, addressing concerns about a guest reader at the school during March is Reading Month. While the post didn’t detail the guest’s identity, it mentioned efforts to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The situation escalated when parents and parishioners raised concerns about the guest’s civil union, contrary to Catholic teachings on sexuality and marriage. The Bishop affirmed that Held addressed these concerns while respecting the guest’s privacy and upholding the dignity of all individuals. However, the incident sparked public outcry, leading to protests calling for Held’s removal and contrasting support from a group defending his actions.
Though the guest’s identity was not explicitly disclosed, LGBT advocacy group Great Lakes Bay Pride identified the individual as author Dominic Thrasher, condemning discrimination and homophobia directed towards him. Thrasher himself responded, expressing hurt over being portrayed negatively and highlighting the broader issue of being reduced to his sexuality.
In a call to action, Thrasher urged parishioners to stand against discrimination and work towards positive change within their community. The incident reflects broader societal tensions regarding LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance within religious institutions, emphasizing the ongoing dialogue and challenges in reconciling differing beliefs and identities.
From what I just read from the above story, it appears to me that Pastor Held did not approve of this author in question living in sin, refer to the account where Christ did not approve, but did not condemn the woman taken in adultery and told her to go and sin no more, this priest took action to prevent any further accounts of an author of questionable character to ever have another opportunity to read or expose his material that is contrary to Church teaching/God’s laws again. I commend the pastor in this matter.