A Catholic priest formerly employed by Seton Hall University claims he was fired after making a pro-LGBTQ post on social media, NBC New York is reporting .
Until last week, Father Warren Hall, was the director of Seton Hall’s campus ministry. That is, until he posted a message on Facebook which, according to the Archdiocese of Newark, is not appropriate.
The message? “No H8”
The No H8 (No Hate) Campaign , according to its website, encourages people to share photos of the phrase “No H8” in an effort to promote LGBTQ rights.
“The NOH8 Campaign is a charitable organization whose mission is to promote marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media, and visual protest.”
The Archdiocese of Newark, which has jurisdiction over the priests who serve at Seton Hall (a private, Catholic university ), took exception to the priest’s social media post.
In a Tweet that has since been removed, Father Hall claimed that the Facebook post in support of LGBTQ rights cost him his job, according to The Record .
“I’ve been fired from SHU for posting a pic on FB supporting LGBT “NO H8?. I’m sorry it was met with this response. I’ll miss my work here.”
Seton Hall University would not comment specifically on the priest’s claim, saying that personnel matters are confidential. Spokesperson Laurie Pine referred questions to the Archdiocese of Newark.
Archdiocese spokesman Jim Goodness declined to say, specifically, whether or not Father Hall was fired from his job for his Facebook post, but did note that it’s not uncommon for priests to be moved from job to job.
“Priests go from one assignment to another all the time.”
The move to fire – or reassign – Father Hall has been met with outrage on the Seton Hall campus. An online petition calling for Hall’s reinstatement has gained over 1,900 signatures, as of this post.
Student Ethan Kraft says that he disagrees with the decision to fire the popular priest.
“This action is neither in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ, nor the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis. Father Hall is a well-loved member of the Seton Hall community, and much of the student body is shocked and saddened by this decision.”
For his part, Father Hall has kept a level head and has encouraged his former flock to use his firing as a sounding board for further discussion about LGBTQ issues.
Grateful for all the support. Dont be angry!! Turn this into an opportunity for open/reasonable discussion on LGBT issues on a Cath Campus.
— Warren Hall (@Warrmeister) May 15, 2015
Do you believe Father Warren deserved to be fired from his job at Seton Hall for his pro-LGBTQ post? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
[Images courtesy of: Facebook , Shutterstock/ George Allen Penton ]
