Ohio Catholic archdiocese proposes advisory committee

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — The Catholic archdiocese in southwest Ohio is proposing a committee made up of teachers who will advise on future contracts that include morality clauses.

The idea has been in the planning stages since last spring amid controversy over teaching contracts forbidding behavior the church regards as wrong in the 19-county Archdiocese of Cincinnati, spokesman Dan Andriacco told the Dayton Daily News.

The contract — which prohibits “homosexual lifestyles,” abortion, artificial insemination and public support for any of those causes — has divided some of the region’s Catholics.

The public fight has included a protest march, petitions and about a dozen billboards in opposition. Teachers have formed a union that has approached the archdiocese about collective bargaining.