Denial of communion: OK, that’s the church’s perogative. Efforts to get him disciplined: not OK; he was hired as a coach and was expressing a personal opinion and not speaking for the university or the church.
Not sure where you’ve been employed in your life, but I have had to sign media disclosure documents wherever I’ve worked and at both of the private clubs that I belong to.
Nobody is interested in what Rick Majerus has to say because they think he’s some brilliant constitutional law expert. They want to hear what he has to say specifically because of where he works and has worked. Period.
Putting that aside for a second, I will take Weiss at his word: That Majerus is speaking as a “devout” and “practicing” Catholic. Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have been very clear on the fact that you can not be “pro-choice” and be practicing Catholicism. Final decisions on Catholic doctrine are not “inclusive,” as Majerus wants them to be. Therefore, what Majerus really is is a Protestant who attends Catholic services. We welcome him to do so, and hope that he ends up seeing the light. Nevertheless, it is insulting when we see someone like him speaking on our behalf for someone like Hillary Clinton.
Of course it's OK.He works for a Catholic university.
I disagree. The Catholic Church, as a PRIVATE employer, is free to discipline Majerus for publicly taking a position antithetical to the Church’s teachings. He has no First Amendment rights in that regard [no government action]. They should fire him. But then again, they should excommunicate the Kennedys, Cuomos, Pelosis, and Majerus.
Usually when one accepts a job at a religion-based institution it is customary to sign a doctrinal statement as well as a public behavior agreement. This is done for a number of reasons, almost all in order to protect the institution's reputation as a whole.
I have no idea if Majerus signed any such agreement. But his behavior demonstrates why institutions require it.
The Catholic Church, via his bishop, is his employer. The Catholic Church, via the Bishop, should exercise its duty to correct any representative within its employ. If the employee refuses to conform to his employer’s directives, the Catholic Church should express its free speech and employer rights and say: “You’re fired.”