"The Very Rev. Robert Taylor, dean of the cathedral, informed parishioners in a March 21 letter that the church fell short of its annual fund-raising goal and would be laying off the three women."

What makes this news outrageous is the Times report of Taylor's recent raise in salary:

"Church leaders ... said Taylor's raise was to make his salary - $175,000 - comparable to those at Episcopal churches of similar size and was funded through gifts for that purpose."

With additional benefits, including a provided home and car allowance, this cathedral dean accepted a raise to what is worth nearly one-quarter of a million dollars - at the same time he fired three women, including two who are clergy.

I tried three times in one day to reach Dean Taylor by telephone. Courteous assistants told me he would be available to talk with me at 5:30 p.m.

When at that scheduled time I telephoned, I was informed: "This is Holy Week and the dean is very busy."

Considering Holy Week, I wondered if this cathedral dean believes that any one of Jesus' 12 apostles were ever paid the equivalence of $175,000 a year in salary - which is so much more than the average salary in the United States.

I wanted to ask this dean if he had ever considered taking a cut in pay down to 75 or $50,000 - so that these two clergywomen and one other lady employee would not become unemployed - even as Dean Taylor got wealthier.

But he (suddenly) became "too busy" to talk, because his secretary was apparently told to tell me "It is Holy Week."

Just how holy is it for any Christian clergyman to accept a raise to such a huge clergy salary and at the same time send two of his fellow clergy into the street of unemployment, along with another female staffer?

Does the law in Seattle and the state of Washington permit such treatment of female associates - for the reason of a male dean's financial aggrandizement?

And even if this is legally tolerated, is this treatment of females to be considered Christian?

Dean Taylor's appalling treatment of these women may possibly be due to the widely reported news - at the time he was nominated to be bishop in San Francisco - that he is a practicing and announced homosexual.

Seattle Times reporter Janet Tu told me by phone that her news story has not evoked any protest from Bishop Taylor.

"About 100 fewer families pledged for 2007 than the 630 who gave last year, with parishioners divided and some announcing they are leaving the church. The first Sunday after the announcement (of Taylor's firing the three women), some parishioners held signs at services supporting those laid off."

---Les Kinsolving hosts a daily talk show for WCBM in Baltimore. His radio commentaries are syndicated nationally. He is White House correspondent for WorldNetDaily. His show can be heard on the Internet 9-11 p.m. Eastern each weekday. Before going into broadcasting, Kinsolving was a newspaper reporter and columnist – twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for his commentary.

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