A decision involving the former music director at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, a Catholic church in Calumet City, Illinois, was praised by religious liberty advocates. (Facebook photo) CHICAGO (BP) – Religious freedom advocates praised a federal appeals court opinion that protects the freedom of churches and other religious groups in the face of government interference in employment decisions. In a 7-3 decision Friday (June 9), the full Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled that the legal doctrine known as the “ministerial exception” encompasses not only hiring and firing by religious organizations but the supervision of ministers during their employment. The opinion overturned a 2-1 decision last August by a Seventh Circuit panel in favor of a music director terminated by a Catholic church. The case involved a hostile work environment claim by Sandor Demkovich, the music director at a Chicago-area Catholic church who alleged discrimination based primarily on his “sexual orientation” and health problems. When he was fired after marrying his long-time male partner, he filed suit against the church and the Archdiocese of Chicago. In reversing its own panel, the Seventh Circuit Court said, “The First Amendment ministerial exception protects a religious organization’s employment relationship […]
