The religious exemption is growing ever smaller...

September 11, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The national agency which grants accreditation to social work courses is questioning Franciscan University of Steubenville over a course which lists homosexuality as a deviant behavior. Attention was drawn to the course by a group of homosexual Franciscan University alumni who are demanding publicly that the course be removed.

LifeSiteNews spoke with Tom Sofio in FUS’ public relations office to confirm details and is awaiting comment.

In a written statement to NPR, the university explains that the course uses the term “deviant” in the sociological sense, to mean “different from the norm.” In addition, the university stated, “Franciscan University follows Catholic Church teaching in regard to homosexuality and treats homosexual persons with ‘respect, compassion, and sensitivity’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2358) while holding homosexual acts as ‘intrinsically disordered.’ “

Stephen Holloway, director of the school’s accrediting agency, Council on Social Work Education, in an interview with NPR, stated the inclusion of homosexuality as a deviant behavior in the description “raises a red flag”. There has been no official statement from the agency of Franciscan University’s accreditation being in question or at risk.