Even though I don’t agree with the Church’s stance on homosexuality (or that of Orthodox Judaism either), I think the Bishop is, at least technically, doing the right thing in this instance since he is supporting the Church’s teaching regarding homosexual behavior. Why a Catholic school is tolerant of openly gay students, who bring their male partners to dances, is itself subject to criticism from the Bishop and the Church. The award is, in my view, for a noble cause but rules are rules, and either one abides by them or risks the painful consequences. ON THE OTHER HAND, in some ways this story is reminiscent of the relation between Jesus and the Pharisees: the latter (wrongly, I may add since not all Pharisees behaved the same way) are grossly stereotyped as following the letter of the Law with little attention to the spirit, and Jesus rebuked them for this, or at least some of them. One can, of course, say that Jesus was not arguing in favor of sin, but rather attempting to clarify the essential purpose of the Law. Still, I think there is something to be said for mercy and compassion in situations such as this.
