Catholic university will offer partner benefits.

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Marquette University in Milwaukee will begin offering domestic partner benefits to its employees beginning next year.

The move by the Catholic, Jesuit university comes about a year after the school rescinded a job offer to a lesbian and scholar at Seattle University. Marquette officials said at the time, rescinding the job offer to Jodi O'Brien had nothing to do with her sexual orientation. But, it triggered heated debate on campus over the issue.

Though these may be pertinent:

30% of Roman Catholic priests described themselves as Liberal, 28% as Conservative, and 37% as Moderate in their Religious ideology. 53 percent responded that they thought it always was a sin for unmarried people to have sexual relations; 32 percent that is often was, and 9 percent seldom/never. Los Angeles Times (extensive) nationwide survey (2002). Arthur Jones, 2002 National Catholic Reporter. Gale Group. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_2_39/ai_94129129/pg_2
71 percent of priests responded that it always was wrong for a woman to get an abortion, 19 percent that it often was, and 4 percent seldom/never. ^
28 percent judged that is always was sin for married couples to use artificial birth control, 25 percent often, 40 percent never. ^
49 percent affirmed that it was always a sin to engage in homosexual behavior, often, 25 percent; and never, 19 percent. ^
To take one's own life if suffering from a debilitating disease: always, 59 percent; often, 18 percent; never, 17 percent. ^
15 percent of the current clergy listed themselves as "gay or on the homosexual side." Among younger priests 23 percent did so. ^
44 percent of the priests said "definitely" a homosexual subculture'--defined as a `definite group of persons that has its own friendships, social gatherings and vocabulary'--exists in their diocese or religious order. ^
39 percent of Roman Catholics and 79 percent of born-again, evangelical or fundamentalist American Christians affirm that homosexual behavior is sinful. LifeWay (Catholic) Research study, released Wednesday. 2008 LifeWay Research study. http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080606/survey-americans-divided-on-homosexuality-as-sin.htm
79 percent of American Jews, 58 percent of Catholics and 56 percent of mainline Protestants favor acceptance of homosexuality, versus 39 percent of members of historically black churches, 27 percent of Muslims and 26 percent of the evangelical Protestants. U.S. U.S. Religious landscape survey; Copyright © 2008 The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#
56% of Catholics believe that sexual relations between two adults of the same gender is not a sin. 2011 Public Religion Research Institute http://www.publicreligion.org/research/?id=509 http://www.publicreligion.org/objects/uploads/40/Catholics_and_LGBT_issues_2010_FINAL.pdf
39% Catholics say homosexual behavior is morally wrong, versus 76% of white evangelicals and 66% of black Protestants. ^
52% of black Protestants and 58% of white evangelical Protestants oppose any form of legal recognition for same-sex couples.^
74% of Catholics agree that homosexual relationships should be accepted by society. (Among the general public 62% say that gay and lesbian relationships should be accepted by society.) ^
69% of Catholics disagree that homosexual orientation can be changed, versus 23% who believe that they can change. ^
43% of Catholics favor allowing homosexual people to marry — 71% if this would be a civil marriage “like you get at city hall” (versus in a church) — while 31% of Catholics favor allowing them to form civil unions, with 22% holding there should be no legal recognition of a homosexual couple’s relationship. Catholic support of legal recognition of homosexual relationships is higher than members of any other Christian tradition polled, and of Americans overall. ^
Without distinguishing what kind of marriage, 53% of Catholics overall affirm that homosexual couples should be allowed to marry. ^
27% of Catholics who attend church services regularly say their clergy speak about the issue of homosexuality, with 63% of this group saying the messages they hear are negative. ^
Only 26% of Catholics who attend services weekly or more favor allowing homosexual people to marry, compared to 43% of Catholics who attend once or twice a month, and 59% of Catholics who attend a few times a year or less. Only 20% of Catholics reported attending mass only once or twice a month. ^
Only 31% of weekly attenders say there should be no legal recognition for a gay couples relationship. ^
73% of Catholics favor laws that would protect homosexual people against discrimination in the workplace. ^
63% of Catholics favor allowing gay and lesbian people to serve openly in the military, while 60% favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt children. ^
48% of white evangelical Protestants oppose letting homosexuals serve openly in the military, with 34% supporting this proposal, versus 63% of Catholics (66% of white) supporting and 23% opposing. Pew forum, November 29, 2010, http://pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Issues/Gay_Marriage_and_Homosexuality/gays%20in%20military%20full%20report.pdf
White evangelicals are most satisfied with their church’s handling of homosexuality, with 75 percent giving it an `A’ or a `B.’ Catholics are the most critical, with nearly a third — twice as many as any other group — giving their church a `D’ or `F.’ Oct. 2010 Poll sponsored by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Religion News Service. http://thepulpit.freedomblogging.com/2010/10/22/survey-links-gay-bullying-to-religion/7682/
31% of Catholics called celibacy a major factor leading to sexual abuse, while another 28% called it a minor factor.35% said celibacy did not play a part in the abuse. http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/poll_catholics_050410_2pm.pdf
30%, meanwhile, said homosexuality played a major role. An additional 23% said it played a minor role. 37% said it was not a factor. ^ More:
REVEALING STATISTICS (or, Present Costs of the War Against God)

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