Editorial: Keeping people from doing good is wrong

One of the contemporary cultural things that’s hard to fathom at times is preventing people from doing truly good works in deference to an ideology. 

For instance, in recent years we have seen adoption agencies serving children in genuine need pressured to serve same-sex couples seeking to adopt and agencies helping migrants and refugees pressured to provide abortion. Anti-immigration sentiment has resulted in efforts to criminalize “Good Samaritans” providing assistance to people who have entered the country illegally. In some cities people have been arrested for feeding the homeless. 

Perhaps the latest iteration on this theme is a couple who allege that the state of Massachusetts is denying them the opportunity to foster or adopt children on the basis of their Catholic faith, which the state’s Department of Children and Families allegedly determined was “not supportive” of the state-authorized conception of sexuality and gender, despite the couple telling officials they would love and accept any child, regardless of sexual orientation or issues with gender identity. 

If this is the case, not only is it a form of bigotry and religious discrimination, it’s just plain cruel. It’s cruel to children who need a home that Catholic couples are willing and able to provide. And it’s cruel and unjust to a couple attempting to live out their Catholic faith by doing a work of mercy. 

The thing is, performing works of mercy is not optional for Catholics. It’s a command of God. It’s integral to our faith. Legal structures that prevent people from feeding the hungry and helping needy children are unjust and must be opposed.