Just a quick update on yesterday’s story of a UK Witches’ Ball scorned by a Catholic-run social club. High Priestess Sandra Davis (aka Amethyst SelmaSelene) has posted a clarification of events in the comments of the Stockport Express.

“I think I really need to confirm something here. When I called to book the venue which had been recommended and which I had used many times I new it as The Flint Street Social Club, I never knew it was run or attached to the Catholic church and when the Gentleman, who was very nice by the way, answered with Our Lady’s I then told him who I was, what we wanted and who were were, totally up front and said that I did not want to compromise them in any way. he assured me that this was a totally separate Buisness venture and that anyone could book the room and then ‘do what we want in it’ . I would not have continued with the booking had he said any different. I required a room large enough to take in excess of 150 people plus a stage where the nights entertainment Abba Fusion an Abba Tribute Duo could perform in complete safety with all there stage equipment … The man who had to also tell me that we couldnt have the room was very apologetic and said embarrased at having to tell me they wouldnt let us have the venue.  However, we have now got somewhere else larger and should have a really great time. I never imagined it would cause this much fuss.”

Depending on the legal classification of the venue, this could cause some significant legal problems for Our Lady’s Social Club. Then again, the representative could have been mistaken in assuming there would be no problem with the Diocese of Shrewsbury in renting out the space, and in presenting the parish center as “a totally separate Buisness venture”. Employees aren’t infallible. At any rate, I still think that Catholic parish centers (if Our Lady’s is indeed classified as a parish center) should have the right to veto events that are theologically incompatible with their values, I also think Ms. Davis is being somewhat disingenuous when she says that she “never imagined it would cause this much fuss”. When you contact the press and tell them the Catholic Church is discriminating against you, and invoke the witch trials of Early Modern Europe, you should expect sensationalistic coverage.

Tags: Catholicism, law, litigation, Religious Freedom, Sandra Davis, UK, Wicca, Witchcraft