University of Notre Dame officials announced that the South Bend, Indiana, school will offer benefits to same-sex spouses. An email was sent to staff two days after the US Supreme Court declined to hear appeals on court decisions reversing bans on same-sex marriage in eleven states, including Indiana. According to NBC News, the message said, “Notre Dame is a Catholic university and endorses a Catholic view of marriage. However, it will follow the relevant civil law and begin to implement this change immediately.”

In a statement published in Catholic World News, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese urged the university to prevent the government from “forcing our Catholic institutions to extend any special benefits we afford to actual marriage to same-sex ‘marriage.’” Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame’s president, stood by the decision, telling the Notre Dame Observer, “We recognize an urgent call to welcome, support and cherish gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.” Maureen Lafferty, assistant director of Notre Dame’s Counseling Center and an out staff member, told the Observer, “This decision has very important practical benefits for GLBTQ families who may breathe easier due to access to medical insurance coverage.”