CV NEWS FEED // Catholic Charities Bureau of the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin, will appear before the U.S. Supreme Court next week to explain that its mission of caring for the poor and needy is religious.
CatholicVote previously reported that lower courts, including the Wisconsin Supreme Court, have ruled that Catholic Charities is a “non religious” organization that is required to participate in the state’s unemployment compensation program. The lawsuit came after Catholic Charities wanted to join the Wisconsin Catholic bishops’ unemployment program instead but was denied a religious exemption from the state’s program.
“The state court ruled that Catholic Charities was not exempt from the state’s unemployment compensation program ‘because it serves everyone, not just Catholics,’” CatholicVote reported, quoting Becket Law, the legal nonprofit representing Catholic Charities.
Becket Law stated in a March 26 news release that the Wisconsin Supreme Court said Catholic Charities could qualify for an exemption as long as it only hired Catholics and tried to convert everyone it served through its ministry to Catholicism. Becket noted that “the Catholic Church teaches that care for the poor cannot be conditioned on acceptance of the Church’s teachings.”
To challenge the state court’s ruling, Catholic Charities will ask the Supreme Court March 31 to declare that its ministry is driven by religion and grant it permission to join the Catholic unemployment program.
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