Catholic School Administrator Fired for Backing Gay Marriage

A Catholic school assistant principal was fired yesterday over comments he made on his blog in support of gay marriage.

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati fired Mike Moroski from Purcell Marian High School, telling him in a termination letter that he had shown "poor judgment" and violated the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, archdiocese spokesman Dan Andriacco said.

Moroski had anticipated the move after refusing to take down the blog post and hiring an attorney.

Moroski did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but he told The Cincinnati Enquirer last week that he was following his conscience when he wrote about his support of gay marriage.

He said he knew the post violated the social-media policy but doesn't feel that he violated church teachings.

"I put it up there because I really truly honestly believe it," he said. "I'm absolutely willing to lose my job over this. The only difficult thing for me now is the students."

Moroski had been in his second year at Purcell Marian High after teaching at Moeller High School for 10 years, according to The Enquirer.

Moroski, who is married and lives in downtown Cincinnati, signed a contract every year that requires him to "comply with and act consistently in accordance with the stated philosophy and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church."

The archdiocese has been in several high-profile battles with employees fired for voicing opinions or taking actions not in keeping with church doctrine.

In 2009, it suspended a nun, Louise Akers, from teaching for publicly supporting the ordination of women priests. And Christa Dias, who was fired in 2010 from Holy Family and St. Lawrence schools in East Price Hill after she became pregnant, has sued the archdiocese in federal court.