Bishop wants head of Catholic Charities Fort Worth to resign; cites conflict over doctrine
The bishop of Fort Worth has requested the resignation of the head of Catholic Charities Fort Worth, after the two men clashed during a meeting about a women’s summit that Catholic Charities has planned.
Bishop Michael Olson called for the resignation of the chief executive officer, Christopher Plumlee, in a letter dated April 4. In that letter, which was provided anonymously to the Star-Telegram, the bishop says he has a “sincere and deep lack of confidence” in Plumlee, stemming from the meeting about the women’s summit.
The chair of Catholic Charities’ board of directors, Deb McNamara, said Plumlee has not resigned. His position, though, is unclear at this point, McNamara said.
“Bishop Olson has asked Christopher for his resignation ... he has not yet resigned,” she said.
Catholic Charities Fort Worth (CCFW) is the service arm of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, and focuses on poverty and related issues. The century-old organization operates three sub-organizations, which provide dental care, immigration services and transportation assistance.
Plumlee stepped into the chief executive role in September, after previously serving on the organization’s board of directors.
At the time, the bishop was quoted in media reports highlighting Plumlee’s “compassion and understanding.” Seven months later, the bishop is pushing Plumlee to step down.
The spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth said Olson did not wish to comment on the resignation request, but that the contents of his April 4 letter still stand.
In his letter, Olson outlines his interpretation of an April 1 discussion between himself and Plumlee at a meeting of Catholic Charities representatives. The two were discussing the upcoming Women’s EmpowHERment Summit that Catholic Charities is planning. The summit, scheduled for later this month, is an “all-day event to uplift and amplify the voices and power of women,” according to the Catholic Charities website.
Olson wrote that Plumlee said the bishop was not invited to attend or speak at the summit, and that Catholic social teaching could not be included in the summit’s agenda.
Olson’s letter indicates that the bishop believes Plumlee is contradicting Catholic social teaching, which is a broad set of doctrines centering on justice and human dignity. Olson also suggests in the letter that the issue was related to the roles of men and women in the church, which is a point of contention and has shifted in recent years. Last year, for instance, the pope announced that Vatican law would formally allow women to serve in an expanded set of roles, although women are still not permitted to serve as priests.
“You … stated that you promised the group of speakers that no men would speak at this event and that I was not invited to speak because of my masculinity,” Olson wrote in his letter to Plumlee.
That stance, Olson wrote, was in conflict with Catholic teachings and more similar instead to principles of diversity, equity and inclusion.
“These social principles and your action in alignment with them are most truly hostile to the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church and thus to the authentic mission of CCFW,” Olson wrote.
Olson wrote that he did not want Plumlee to apologize for his beliefs or the interaction. He wanted Plumlee to resign.
But Plumlee wrote in a return letter also sent anonymously to the Star-Telegram that the bishop’s understanding of their discussion was not correct. The letter is addressed to Olson and has Plumlee’s name typed at the bottom, but it is not signed. Plumlee did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
“[T]o be crystal clear, you made your position clear about joining us and we would have certainly accommodated your request for however much time you deemed appropriate,” Plumlee wrote in an April 5 letter to the bishop.
Plumlee also pushed back on the idea that anything at the women’s summit would be in conflict with Catholic teachings. He added that he’s “a very proud, cradle Catholic and have been my entire life” and that he takes his faith “very seriously.”
Plumlee closed his letter asking Olson to reconsider his request that Plumlee resign, writing that “yet another leadership change would prove deleterious” to Catholic Charities.
“I am praying you will evaluate/assess all the irrefutably good things I have done over my tenure with CCFW and not base your final decision on one, single 30-minute meeting that was rife with confusion, miscommunication, and misunderstandings,” Plumlee wrote.
The diocese’s spokesperson said that Plumlee has not formally responded to the bishop about whether he will resign.
McNamara said she couldn’t provide an exact timeline for when Catholic Charities might have more information on Plumlee’s employment, but that she hopes the situation will be resolved by early May.
This story was originally published April 19, 2022 at 5:25 PM.
