HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Representatives of the online group Faithful America delivered a petition to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena asking the bishop to reverse the firing of an unmarried, pregnant teacher from a Catholic school in Butte.
The group said Thursday it collected 21,000 signatures in an online petition asking the church to reinstate Shaela Evenson to her job teaching literature and physical education at Butte Central middle school. Evenson was dismissed in early January.
Diocese spokesman Dan Bartleson said Bishop George Thomas was not in Helena. The Independent Record reports (https://bit.ly/1fX9nVS ) Bartleson said the bishop would take the petition under advisement, but was unlikely to reverse the decision.
The diocese also released a statement in which Bishop Thomas said he was caught between upholding the Catholic identity of diocese schools and wishing to provide pastoral outreach and understanding to the teacher.
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Information from: Independent Record, https://www.helenair.com
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