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Yesterday Catholic Charities of Boston announced that it will end its adoption services rather than arrange adoptions for gay couples. Refusing to place children with gay couples violates a Massachusetts law prohibiting discrimination against gays.

Catholic Charities has provided adoption services since 1903.

The Catholic Church prohibits placing children with gay couples because it believes it is "immoral." Catholic Charities, forced to choose between state law and the laws of the Church, chose the latter. How could they possibly do otherwise and remain a Catholic organization?

Too often, Catholics who face similar choices in their everyday lives don't act out of respect for the teachings of the Church, as Catholic Charities did, but out of convenience. For example, you can't use contraception or support abortion rights and be a good Catholic. It's as simple as that.

The Church is trapped in a medieval mindset. Prohibitions against abortion, contraception, pre-marital sex between adults, gay marriage, gay adoptions, women priets, the right of priests to marry — these prohibitions belong to another century, like not eating meat on Friday. But as long as these prohibitions are part of Catholic doctrine, Catholics have two choices — comply with them or leave the Church.

When priests find themselves at Sunday mass preaching to the choir and very few others, the Church may finally wake up.