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Keith Kozak, who was an outreach minister for the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, was fired from his position because he celebrated his friend's same-sex wedding on social networks. After scouring Kozak's social media posts, his Diocese officials saw that he had "liked" a post about a friend's same-sex marriage and that he had posted another statement about another same-sex wedding. This was the reason for them to call him in for a meeting, had a brief discussion; then they fired him the next day.
The39-year old Kozak was up for a big promotion just right before he was called for a meeting with his supervisor and a representative from human resources. He thought the meeting was a signal that this promotion was about to happen but he was awfully wrong. His actions on social media led to him being fired.
“They sat me down and they said we had seen some things on Facebook and Twitter and that would like to talk to you about that,” said Kozak, as Patheos reports. “It was a quick meeting. The very next day, I received a letter that said I was terminated.” Kozak's sexual orientation was irrelevant to the Catholic Church as long as he is celibate and single and he never disclosed his homosexuality to the Diocese. But now he was punished merely for attending someone else's same-sex wedding and celebrating their love online. He was aware that social media must reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church, but he didn't feel like his posts violated that. After what happened, his views on the Catholic Church were rocked.
The Church has punished a man, who was its loyal and dedicated servant, because he expressed his positive opinion about a same-sex union even though he wasn't participating in one himself. Now it appears to him that the Church does not care about loyalty or dedication; dogma is everything for them. This punishment brings up some questions about the Church's attitude towards those who think differently. There is a big number of Catholics who support abortion rights or marriage equality and what could they expect from their beloved Church?
According to news5cleveland.com, while the organization didn't specifically comment on this case, a spokesperson said the Cleveland Diocese might be within its rights, citing "ministerial exception." Clergy members are prohibited from bringing claims under federal discrimination laws because the relationship between an organized church and its ministers is its lifeblood.
