c. 2006 Religion News Service

SYRACUSE, N.Y. _ A Catholic priest says Catholic Relief Services has dismissed him from its volunteer program in Africa because he is openly gay.

“They said I was an openly gay priest with a high profile. They said a controversial figure would not be in their best interests,” said the Rev. Fred Daley, 58.

Syracuse Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Costello said he was disappointed by the decision.

Officials at CRS, the international relief and development agency for the Catholic Church in the United States, said it was Daley’s high profile as an outspoken gay priest _ not his homosexuality _ that caused them to deny his application.

“It was the issue of the notoriety, plain and simple,” Michael Wiest, the chief operating officer for Baltimore-based CRS, said in an interview Monday (July 31).

Daley drew international attention last November for his public criticism of a Vatican document widely interpreted as banning gays from the priesthood. He disclosed his sexual orientation to his Utica parish in May 2004.

He was to leave for training in Baltimore in early August. He planned to spend 18 months in the southern African nation of Lesotho, ministering to people with HIV and AIDS.

Daley said a CRS official contacted him July 18 with the decision. He said Syracuse Bishops James Moynihan and Costello urged the agency to reverse its decision, but Daley said CRS officials had not changed their minds.

“They said, `We’re not rejecting you because you’re gay, but because you’re a controversial figure,”’ Daley said. “I interpret that as, `It’s OK to be gay as long as you’re in the closet.”’

“CRS told me he was not rejected because he was gay but because he did not tell them that he was gay,” said Costello, who also serves as vicar for priests.

“The average person hearing this is going to say he was rejected because he was gay,” Costello said. “I am very disappointed in CRS’ posture.”

Daley said no one at CRS asked about his sexual orientation during the five-month application process. Nor did he disclose the information.

“I reflected and prayed on whether I should,” he said. “I made a decision not to. I’m clear as a bell if I had shared that in the process, I would not have been accepted.”

Wiest, the CRS official, said the agency does not “delve into the personal lives” of its staff. When officials learned he was gay in early June, they decided to continue with the process but withdrew the application when they learned of Daley’s outspoken activism.

“If we had had more and better information early on, this controversy might never have gotten to this point,” Wiest said. He said the agency did not want to create problems for its partners in Africa.

Daley has said his decision to speak publicly as a gay, celibate priest resulted from his discomfort with a church and society that is unfriendly to gays and a growing sense of hypocrisy at remaining silent.

“I knew deep in my heart there was some risk in that and probably there would be some consequences,” Daley said.

It’s unclear how many American priests have disclosed that they are gay, but most experts say Daley is among fewer than five who have done so.

Daley said neither Moynihan nor Costello has told him not to speak about his sexual orientation.

“Bishop Moynihan has said, `That is not my concern. My concern is that we focus on the gospel,”’ Daley said. “I am very touched at the continued support.”

Daley had earlier said the decision to go to Africa was his and it was not a punishment from church officials for his decision to go public with his sexual orientation.

Daley said he may accept an invitation to meet with CRS officials in the coming weeks but does not expect to be offered another overseas ministry position. Wiest said Daley has a standing offer to “come and look at possibilities.”

“As sad as I am not to be able to take this great opportunity to accompany gay and lesbian people and people with AIDS, deep down in my heart, there is an immense peace that I have been true to myself and I rejoice in who God created me to be,” Daley said.

(Renee K. Gadoua writes for The Post-Standard in Syracuse, N.Y. Kevin Eckstrom contributed to this report.)

KRE/PH END GADOUA

Editors: To obtain a file photo of Fred Daley, go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by subject or slug.