SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The priest who said he was dismissed from his position as campus ministry director at Seton Hall University in South Orange after posting a photo in support of an LGBT campaign on Facebook told the News-Record that he is not backing down from his convictions.
Father Warren Hall said in a May 21 email from his Seton Hall account that he does not wish to comment on the specific circumstances surrounding his departure from the university, about which he first tweeted on May 15, since he does not want to create more confusion in doing so. What he did make clear, however, was the fact that he still believes in the message of the NOH8 campaign, a California-based initiative that was founded in opposition to the Proposition 8 same-sex marriage ban.
“I will miss Seton Hall University,” Hall told the News-Record. “Although I’m moving on from here, I’m not moving on from nor backing down on the message of ‘No Hate.’”
The Archdiocese of Newark, which oversees Seton Hall and appoints the campus ministry director, is meanwhile denying that Hall was ever dismissed from the university. Spokesman Jim Goodness told the News-Record that Hall is still part of the archdiocese and will simply be reassigned once his posting at the university ends in June.
“Father Hall’s assertion that he was fired is incorrect,” Goodness said in a May 21 phone interview. “That is something he is going to have to explain about one day to everybody because he has been perpetuating the wrong thing.”
Goodness further explained that priests get reassigned “all the time,” with posts lasting anywhere from one year to an average of six years for pastors. He added that the decision to move a priest comes from the Archdiocese’s determination of where he will be “most effective,” stressing that a transfer is not necessarily an indication of poor performance.
“Sometimes it means a priest who is doing a good job in one place is reassigned because the qualities he brings to a particular
“Sometimes priests who are very involved and who are loved in a particular place have to go to another place because they are needed there. That is the life of a priest.”
Hall’s new position has not yet been determined, Goodness said, and declined to comment on what led the Archdiocese to reassign the priests. Hall had served at Seton Hall for approximately one year.
The whole situation began last fall, when Hall posted a photo of himself on Facebook referencing the NOH8 campaign with the caption “Why can’t we all just get along.” After meeting with the Archdiocese, however, Hall removed the photo.
The priest remained at the university without incident until Hall wrote the following on Twitter earlier this month: “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.”
Hall deleted the message soon afterward, later posting the following for his advocates: “Grateful for all the support. Don’t be angry!! Turn this into an opportunity for open/reasonable discussion on LGBT issues on a Cath campus.” He has also since tweeted links to articles about the first LGBTQ Youth Summit and an Irish priest’s response to Ireland’s vote allowing same-sex marriage.
Regarding Hall’s support of the NOH8 campaign, Goodness said in a later statement to the News-Record that the priest did meet with the Archdiocese about the Facebook post, during which time he said it was merely meant to “express his support for an end to hate, a thoroughly Catholic position.” The statement said that Hall went on to express surprise that people would interpret the post as going against the Catholic Church’s position on same-sex marriage.
Regarding that position, Goodness clarified that the Church does not condone intolerance of any kind against homosexuals. It does maintain, however, that marriage should be between a man and a woman.
“No one should ever be discriminated against,” Goodness said during his interview, referring to Catholic doctrine. “Everyone should be treated with respect.”
Seton Hall University declined to comment on Hall’s departure, citing its policy on not discussing personnel issues.
“Seton Hall is a welcoming and accepting academic community with a diverse array of students, faculty and administrators,” SHU spokeswoman Laruie Pine said in a release. “We pride ourselves on the close-knit fabric of our community and celebrate, accept and embrace all of our members. Countless students comment on how safe, comfortable and at home they feel here at the university and how diverse, accepting and welcoming the Seton Hall community is.”
But many students have expressed outrage on social media at Hall’s departure from the university, and disbelief that his reassignment was coincidental. Junior Ethan Kraft even created a petition on Change.org calling for the priest’s reinstatement that has garnered more than 5,000 signatures.
Kraft told the News-Record that he did not have a personal relationship with Hall, though he knew his reputation as someone who was “ever encouraging of Seton Hall students.” He started the petition to support a priest who, he felt, did nothing wrong.
“Father Hall’s support of the NOH8 campaign was simply a method of relaying the words of Christ,” Kraft said in a May 21 email. “In my opinion, he wasn’t making any sort of political statement. He was simply opposing hatred, and I don’t believe anybody should be fired for opposing hatred, especially within the Church.”
The controversial situation has reverberated beyond Seton Hall as well. Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s largest civil rights organization specializing in LGBT advocacy, is publicly supporting Kraft’s petition. Executive Director Andrea Bowen told the News-Record that GSE feels it is important to stand in solidarity with anyone supporting LGBT rights. Bowen said religious institutions, in particular, should do the same.
“We feel really strongly that social justice and the support of LGBT people are issues that are one and the same,” Bowen said in a May 21 phone interview. “It is really important, especially for religious institutions that are following examples of social justice like things that we see in the Bible, to follow through on those. That means they need to support the LGBT community.”
The lawmakers of District 27, which includes South Orange and Maplewood, are also taking a stance on the matter.
Assemblyman John McKeon told the News-Record that, as a second-generation Seton Hall alum, he hopes Hall will remain at the university.
“The world of academia is supposed to be open-minded and enlightened,” McKeon said in a May 21 phone interview. “So in my view, the lack of tolerance is troubling.”
State Sen. Richard Codey called the incident is “very unfortunate.” In a May 21 phone interview, Codey told the News-Record that he believes God loves all people regardless of their sexual orientation. That is why no one should ever be punished for supporting the LGBT community, he said.
Assemblywoman Mila Jasey of South Orange also spoke out against Hall’s removal from the university. In a statement, Jasey called the priest instrumental in facilitating the social and moral development of students. It would be disappointing if his departure from Seton Hall was truly related to his support of the NOH8 campaign, she said.
“While the information available regarding Father Hall’s dismissal is limited, it is troubling,” Jasey said. “That he reportedly was terminated for voicing a message of love and acceptance is thoroughly inconsistent with the basic tenets that form the foundation of the Catholic Church and our state’s oldest and largest Catholic university.
“On behalf of the student body at Seton Hall and a vast network of alumni calling for his reinstatement, I stand with Father Hall as an advocate for the LGBT community and hope that the university can continue to promote the respect for diversity and inclusiveness inherent in Catholic teachings,” she continued.
The current controversy comes after Seton Hall’s recent recruitment of Derrick Gordon, the first openly gay Division I men’s basketball player.
It also follows Newark Archbishop John Meyers’ public criticism of the university for offering the course “The Politics of Gay Marriage,” while Seton Hall’s gay and lesbian organization Allies remains unrecognized by the Student Government Association — it is only made official through a memorandum with the Office of the Vice President.