Catholic-School Teacher of 45 Years Quits Over New Antigay Contract

Richard Hague, a teacher in Catholic schools for 45 years, says he refuses to sign a new contract being offered to teachers in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati that prohibits public support for causes the Catholic Church opposes, including same-sex marriage.

According to Cincinnati TV station WLWT, nine teachers in the archdiocese have rejected the contract, but 80 percent have signed it. A veteran teacher with a son who is gay was reportedly the first who refused to sign, and a Catholic attorney has called on the archdiocese to change the contract's language.

Hague wrote a letter expressing his position to the superintendent of Catholic schools.

"I simply cannot believe that Jesus would require me to condemn my friends, nor that Jesus would require me to report any of my colleagues who supported, even loved, gay persons, nor do I believe for a moment that Jesus would punish me for my earlier ministry," Hague wrote.

A rally was held today outside archdiocesan offices to protest the contract and show solidarity with Hague; watch video below, via The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Follow Michael O'Loughlin on Twitter at @mikeoloughlin.