Catholic church to scout troop: If you include gays, find a new place to meet

A Wisconsin Catholic church has informed a group of boy scouts that they need to find a new meeting place if they are going to allow gay youth to participate in the program. According to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Pioneer Press, the troop has been meeting at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Altoona for 20 years, but will find a new home if church elders insist.

Scoutmaster Bob Thill of Boy Scouts of America Troop 90 told the Press that the church informed him this week that the troop will have to relocate by the end of the year.

Rev. Derek Sakowski, a spokesperson for St. Mary's, said that the church's pastoral council has strongly recommended that the troop find a new place to meet if it intends to include gay youth. Sakowski told the Eau Clair Leader-Telegram that a final decision is still pending once he has had a chance to discuss the situation with parents of Troop 90 scouts.

[image of angry senior clergyman via Shutterstock.com]