Critics skewer CNN's Don Lemon for saying adoptions should be handled by the state, not churches

CNN anchor Don Lemon was skewered by critics Wednesday after he claimed adoptions should be handled by the state and not by churches. 

The left-wing host was responding to a recent Supreme Court decision siding with Catholic Social Services (CSS), a Catholic adoption agency, in a dispute with the city of Philadelphia over not allowing same-sex couples to participate in their adoption program.

"I think adoption is something that should be handled by the state ... and I think the church should stay out of it," Lemon said during his podcast "The Handoff," which he hosts alongside fellow liberal CNN anchor Chris Cuomo. 

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Lemon's view on the issue ran in stark contrast to even the liberal justices' opinions on the case, considering the decision was a unanimous 9-0. 

"CSS seeks only an accommodation that will allow it to continue serving the children of Philadelphia in a manner consistent with its religious beliefs; it does not seek to impose those beliefs on anyone else," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion. "The refusal of Philadelphia to contract with CSS for the provision of foster care services unless it agrees to certify same-sex couples as foster parents cannot survive strict scrutiny, and violates the First Amendment."

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Roberts was joined on his opinion by Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, with the remaining justices offering a different concurring opinion. 

Lemon was criticized on social media following his adoption comment, with critics calling his take "stupid," and suggesting his opinion put him "well outside the mainstream."

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Fox News' Tyler Olson & Bill Mears contributed to this report.