The pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Altoona, Wisconsin has told the leaders of the Boy Scout troop which meets at his church that if they admit any homosexual boys they will have to find a new place to meet.

The Associated Press is reporting that Bob Thill, scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 90, which has been meeting at St. Mary’s for the last 20 years, has been told that they will need to find a new home when their agreement expires this December 31 because of the Boy Scout’s policy allowing homosexual boys to participate.

Father Derek Sakowski, of St. Mary’s, is not comfortable with the wording of the new policy which disallows exclusion due to “sexual preference” – a term he finds too ambiguous. As a result, he is seeking clarification from national headquarters.

“We want to know if it fits with our Catholic values. If I don’t get a (satisfactory) response, then I can’t renew the charter,” he told the AP.

Even though homosexual tendencies are not considered sinful by the Church, the church’s pastoral council is strongly recommending that the parish cut ties with the troop.

The Diocese of La Crosse has made no formal pronouncement on whether or not parishes can sponsor Boy Scout troops and is leaving the decision up to individual parishes.

This scene has been playing out in churches across the country since the Boy Scouts voted to lift the ban on homosexual members earlier this summer. About 70 percent of all local troops are supported by religious groups with the majority (37%) being Mormon churches, followed by Methodist (10%) and Catholic (8%).

Decisions to allow the scouts to meet on church premises are being left up to individual pastors.

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