Gay priest, Chestnut Hill College reach settlement

A former adjunct professor of religion at Chestnut Hill College who was dismissed from his post because he is gay announced this afternoon that a settlement has been reached between himself and the Catholic-based institution.

Father James St. George, 45, said in a statement issued by his publicist that he had reached "an amicable resolution with Chestnut Hill College that will end this controversy."

The resolution reached over the weekend was "consistent with the religious beliefs of each party," the statement said. The cleric asked the news media to "respect the privacy of this resolution."

Terms of the agreement were not made public.

A press conference that had been set for this morning, at which St. George and school officials were to have jointly appeared, was abruptly cancelled via an urgent email sent to reporters at 8 a.m. No explanation was given.

St. George, pastor of St. Miriam Catholic Apostolic Church of Blue Bell, had taught a variety of religious topics at the college since fall of 2009 before learning his contract would not be renewed in February.

School officials said they took that action after learning that St. George had made public statements on his blog about being in a 15-year relationship with a man. They also said they did not know he was affiliated with the Old Apostolic Catholic Church which is not recognized by the Vatican.

St. George, countering that his gayness was an open matter, accused the school of anti-gay bias. He also claimed he had disclosed to the school his Apostolic Church affiliation during the hiring process and was told it was not a problem.

The school's action infuriated some students who liked St. George's classes and felt that he was getting a raw deal from the school. They were prepared to rally on his behalf Saturday when they learned that a settlement was imminent.

Neither side would comment on the settlement this afternoon. Asked for an explanation, publicist Frank Keel emailed: "The terms of the resolution are private and confidential. Father Jim will not be returning to teach at Chestnut Hill College."

Keel would not respond to questions about whether there was a monetary settlement, what each party agreed to, or what Father St. George would do next.

The full statement read:

"I am pleased to announce that I have reached an amicable resolution with Chestnut Hill College that will end this controversy. This resolution is consistent with each party's respective religious beliefs and was arrived at over this past weekend.

"Chestnut Hill College and I have expressed our respect for each other's churches, however different our religious principles may be. We are committed to moving forward and tending to our respective ministries. Neither of us is interested in rehashing what has occurred in the past and we request that the media respect the privacy of this resolution and allow both parties to return to our respective missions."

A spokeswoman for the college did not return a phone call.