December 1, 2009
Archbishop takes a reluctant turn in the spotlight
by Michelle Boorstein
The Washington Post
When the D.C. Council votes Tuesday on a historic measure to legalize same-sex marriage in the District, one of the most visible faces of opposition will be an unlikely one: Catholic Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl, a mild-mannered man known for compromise, pragmatism and working behind the scenes.
For most of his three years in the nation's capital, Wuerl, 69, has avoided the limelight -- a prelate who prays in front of abortion clinics without calling in the cameras. His profile has been so low that some D.C. Council members -- who are expected to overwhelmingly approve a bill giving gay couples the right to marry -- said they have never met the highest-ranking Catholic official in the Washington region.
Wuerl's emergence as a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage came late, after a summer of activism led by Bishop Harry Jackson, pastor of a Pentecostal Beltsville church, and a small group of conservative clergy. But in the final days before the vote, Wuerl became the most influential opponent of the bill by using the church's social service arm, Catholic Charities, as a negotiating tool. The Church said it would not be able to continue taking $18 million to $20 million in city funding for homeless shelters, medical clinics and other charitable endeavors if the wording of the law forced the Church to violate its teachings on marriage.
"When this legislation was introduced, it was my obligation as a teacher and member of community to say, this is a radical change in the definition of marriage as it's always been understood by humankind, and we simply would not be able to accept that as compatible with our faith," Wuerl said in an interview.
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