Photo by Kevin H.

During the roughly 45 minutes of debate before today’s historic same sex marriage vote by the D.C. Council, Phil Mendelson (D-At large) noted that the city had not yet been able to find “mutually agreeable language” to come to an agreement with the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington over the issue. Since the bill was first introduced, the archdiocese has repeatedly threatened that its local social services operations through its Catholic Charities organization might be endangered should the bill pass.

Susan Gibbs, spokesperson for the archdiocese, issued the following statement in reaction to today’s vote:

Today the District of Columbia joined a handful of states where legislatures or courts have redefined marriage to include persons of the same sex. Since this legislation was first introduced in October, the Archdiocese of Washington opposed the redefinition of marriage based on the core teaching of the Catholic Church that the complementarity of man and woman is intrinsic to the definition of marriage. However, understanding the City Council was committed to legalizing same sex marriages, the archdiocese advocated for a bill that would balance the Council’s interest in redefining marriage with the need to protect religious freedom. Regrettably, the bill did not strike that balance.

The Archdiocese of Washington and Catholic Charities are deeply committed to serving those in need, regardless of race, creed, gender, ethnic origin or sexual orientation. This commitment is integral to our Catholic faith and will remain unchanged into the future.

Religious organizations have long been eligible to provide social services in our nation’s capital and have not been excluded simply because of their religious character. This is because the choice of provider has focused on the ability to deliver services effectively and efficiently. We are committed to serving the needs of the poor and look forward to working in partnership with the District of Columbia consistent with the mission of the Catholic Church.

Sounds to us like Catholic Charities will remain open as they are now, despite all the initial tough talk from the archdiocese.