Catholic College to Weigh Gay Marriage Course

A committee at Seton Hall University in New Jersey will meet Thursday to weigh the fate of a course on same-sex marriage scheduled for the fall.

According to The Star-Ledger, "The Seton Hall Board of Regents asked one of its subcommittees, called the Mission and Identity Committee, to evaluate the course, said Thomas White, a Seton Hall spokesman. The committee's dozen or so members will meet behind closed doors on the South Orange campus beginning today, though it is unclear how they will proceed or how long they will take to make their recommendation."

Last month, Newark Archbishop John J. Myers (pictured) objected to the course as being in conflict with Catholic teaching. The political science department and the provost had approved the course as an objective examination of a public policy issue. Since the controversy erupted, the American Association of University Professors issued a statement in favor of the course and academic freedom.

The course will be taught by W. King Mott, an openly gay professor who has clashed with the university administration in the past. In 2005, he was demoted from an associate dean position after a newspaper published his letter challenging the church's stance on homosexuality.