Chestnut Hill College fires gay part-time professor

CHESTNUT HILL - February 27, 2011

"I've been honest about it and never tried to hide it," St. George said.

St. George is a priest with St. Miriam's Parish in Blue Bell, an independent old Catholic house of worship.

He's taught at the Roman Catholic college for over a year. St. George says he was set to begin another semester teaching when suddenly he wasn't renewed for his adjunct professorship.

"They have never spoken to me directly, so I can only tell you what I heard and have been told," St. George said.

The college declined Action News' request for an on camera interview.

But in a statement, the school claims St. George was not renewed, "not because he's gay...but because his recent public comments regarding his long-term, same sex relationship are at odds with our beliefs."

Those public statements refer to St. George's blog, Venture in Faith.

"I didn't make any public statements and I certainly didn't mention Chestnut Hill," St. George said.

The school goes on to say, "It's expected that all our members...respect and uphold our Roman Catholic Mission."

St. George feels he's being singled out and demands to know if that mission is being applied across the college faculty.

"What I would want to know, how many professors are gay other than me? Are they still on staff? How many are divorced? How many use contraception? And how many have had an abortion? All of these things are contrary and considered evil, derivations according to the Roman Catholic Church," St. George said.

Father St. George says his adjunct professor job at the college was his primary source of income. He doesn't get paid by his church and he's now hoping for new job offers so he can continue his career in education.

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