Catholic Relief Services violated federal laws against sex discrimination in employment and pay when the Baltimore-based agency withdrew health insurance coverage from a gay employee’s same-sex spouse, a federal judge ruled last week.

U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake rejected CRS’ argument that the laws did not apply to its operations because of statutory exemptions for religious-based organizations exercising their firmly held beliefs, such as opposition to same-sex marriage.

Blake said the exemptions do not apply because the employee’s job as a data analyst was not part of the CRS religious mission and secular jobs are protected by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1963 Equal Pay Act.

“CRS insists that any judicial inquiry into this case inevitably requires an inquiry into matters of Catholic faith and doctrine,” wrote Blake, who sits in the Baltimore federal courthouse.

“This is not so; this case concerns a social service organization’s employment benefit decisions regarding a data analyst and does not involve CRS’s spiritual or ministerial functions,” Blake added in her memorandum opinion. “This court need not question the sincerity or content of CRS’s religious beliefs to assess the applicability of neutral and generally applicable statutes.”

Blake rendered her decision in granting summary judgment for the employee – identified in court papers as “John Doe” — on his federal claims. Blake also granted summary judgment on Doe’s claim that CRS violated...

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