Boy Scout troops sponsored by Catholic churches won't be required to adhere to the organization's new policy of allowing girls who identify as boys to become troop members.
The National Catholic Committee on Scouting said in a statement that despite the Boy Scouts' announcement on Jan. 30 that welcomed girls who identify as boys as members, the new policy "has no impact on the operation and program delivery of Scouting program(s) in Catholic-chartered units."
"Scouting serves the Catholic Church through the charter concept, which is similar to a franchise," the statement continued, as reported by Catholic News Service on Tuesday.
"The units chartered to a Catholic institution are owned by that organization. The BSA has stipulated that religious partners will continue to have the right to make decisions for their units based on their religious beliefs."
The policy change, announced last week by the Boy Scouts, allows the organization to look at only the gender listed on a child's application for becoming a scout, while previously it had considered the gender identified on the child's birth certificate.
The change means that children who are girls, but now identify as boys, can be accepted in the boys-only programs.
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