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County Council Member Objects To Rezoning Because of Opposition To Church Policy

By Howard M. Friedman

Catholic News Agency reports today that Beaufort County, South Carolina Councilwoman Laura Von Harten has apologized for controversial remarks she made at a Council committee meeting last Monday. The Beaufort (SC) Gazette reported on Tuesday that the county's Land Management Committee, on which Von Harten does not sit, approved rezoning for expansion of St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church by a vote of 5-2. During discussion at the Committee meeting, however, Van Harten spoke to say she would not support the rezoning when it comes up for a full Council vote because of "human rights issues." She said that Catholic Church policies are an "affront to my dignity and all of womankind." She especially objected to the Church's ban on female clergy and her dislike of the way the Church wishes to "control women's uteruses." She said: "I don't want to support anything that will perpetuate that kind of ideology."

Apologizing on Tuesday, Von Harten said that her human rights concerns relate to "the Catholic Church as a political entity, with a seat at the United Nations, but I acknowledge that I offended individuals in my own community." She added: "Please be assured that I have been reminded of the importance of separation of church and state in matters of land use, and have learned a great deal from this incident." She now says she will abstain from voting on the St. Gregory zoning issue when it reaches Council.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on November 21, 2008 (boomark / email).