The Roman Catholic Church in Massachusetts is considering firing gay employees who marry their same-sex partners in the only American state where such unions are legal, a church official said on Thursday.
"There have been conversations about how one needs to act consistently with the church's teachings and this has been discussed," said Daniel Avila, associate director for policy and research at the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, which formulates public policy for state's four bishops.
Gay marriages were legalized in Massachusetts in May. But the Catholic Church, which has been swept up in a sexual-abuse crisis, opposes the law. The church defines marriage as between a man and a woman and believes homosexuality is unnatural.
"The church has long had a position that the people working on its behalf need to display conduct consistent with the beliefs of the church," Avila said.
The Boston Herald on Thursday reported that memos about employment policies have been sent to bishops.
Christopher Coyne, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston, was not immediately available to comment.
Avila said he does not know of any gays who have been fired by the church for having married a same-sex partner. He added, "this is the first time we've been faced with this issue."
But he also said the church can act according to its beliefs. "Practically and theoretically, we have the right to conduct our activities consistent with our practices," he said.
Boston's archdiocese, which ministers to roughly 2 million Catholics in the region, has faced financial problems and seen attendance shrink recently as it moves past a scandal where priests molested young children, often boys.