Bishop Objects to Gay Marriage Class

The governing board of Seton Hall University, the largest Catholic college in New Jersey, is reconsidering whether to allow a course on same-sex marriage this fall after Newark Archbishop John J. Myers said the class conflicts with Catholic teaching.

According to The Star-Ledger, Myers objected to the course for upperclassmen in a statement. Although he does not have the authority to cancel a class, he serves as chairman of the school’s board of trustees and leads the board of regents, which oversees academic issues.

"This proposed course seeks to promote as legitimate a train of thought that is contrary to what the Church teaches. As a result, the course is not in synch with Catholic teaching," said Myers in the statement reported by TheStar-Ledger. "Consequently, the board of trustees of Seton Hall have asked the board of regents to investigate the matter of this proposed course and to take whatever action is required under the law to protect the Catholicity of this university."

Larry Robinson, the vice provost, said the political science department and the dean approved the course because it was an objective examination of a public policy issue, not an advocacy course.

The course will be taught be W. King Mott, an openly gay, tenured associate professor of political science. In 2005, Mott was demoted from a position as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences after TheStar-Ledger published his letter saying the church scapegoats gay men for the priest sex abuse scandal.