Catholic School Ex-Leader Counts as ‘Minister,’ Loses Bias Case

The former principal of a Catholic high school can’t pursue an age and disability discrimination lawsuit against his ex-employer due to the ministerial exception, a federal judge ruled.

The worker argued that his role at Father Judge High School in Philadelphia was administrative, not religious. But FJHS considered him “a key religious leader of the school” and described him as a pastor who supported its spiritual goals, so the ministerial exception blocks his bias claims, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said Wednesday.

Plaintiff Peter Chapla started working for the school in 2018 and lost his ...