First Catholic Charities said that if they were forced to recognize gay marriages when it comes to offering their employees' spouses health benefits that they would stop offering those benefits altogether.

Now the archdiocese will not approve the sale of vacant former school buildings to charter schools because it's too much competition for their remaining open schools ("Archdiocese won't sell or lease to charter schools," March 17). Do I hear a phrase my parents always used to say to me? "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face."

I think it's high time the state and local municipalities take a hard look at whether the Catholic (and other similar religious monopolies) are truly serving the interests of the residents and their children and whether they are worthy of the tax free status bestowed on them. Otherwise, why are we not collecting taxes on these properties? Was that practice not established because the religious/charitable organizations were picking up where government programs left off? It seems to me that the only interests being served here are the pockets of the Archdiocese and not the citizens of the community in which they are located.

Marc Hayes, Baltimore