CINCINNATI — With a new archbishop soon to be at the helm of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio (GSWO) are circulating a petition calling for a reconciliation between the two sides after ties were dissolved last year.
"We welcome you to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. We ask your help with an urgent issue affecting thousands of Catholic Girl Scouts," reads a letter addressed to Archbishop-designate Robert Casey. "Catholic Girl Scout troops have been given until December 2025 to leave their parishes, disband, or convert to American Heritage Girls."
The petition stated the move would impact up to 200 local Catholic Girl Scout troops and nearly 4,000 local Catholic Girl Scouts.
"The petition is really asking the new incoming Archbishop Casey for an opportunity to, one, meet with him, and two, for a reconciliation of the decision that Archbishop Schnurr made," said Amy Armstrong Smith, incoming chair of the GSWO Catholic Committee.
WATCH: Hear more about the petition and how it aims to renew a longstanding relationship between GSWO and the Archdiocese
Archbishop Dennis Schnurr, who announced his upcoming retirement in February, dissolved ties with GSWO in October 2024, citing its promotion of "an impoverished worldview regarding gender and sexuality."
"Through some of their activities, resources, badges and awards, Girl Scouts — including the local chapter, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio — has contributed to normalizing a sexual and gender ideology contrary to the Catholic understanding of the human person made male and female in the image and likeness of God," Schnurr wrote.
Armstrong Smith disagreed with the overall characterization of GSWO in Schnurr's letter.
"We feel that the mission of Girl Scouts and the Catholic Church are more aligned than not," she said. "The (implication) of this is that we have troops that are disbanding."
WCPO 9 News reached out to an Archdiocese spokesperson who told us in a statement that no petition has been received at this time.
"We have recently been in good faith dialogue with the Catholic Committee on Girl Scouts and are disappointed that they have chosen to go to the media in the midst of our discussions," the statement says.
When incoming Archbishop Casey gave his first public address in February, following his appointment, Armstrong Smith said she knew it was the perfect opportunity to "build bridges."
"Girl Scouts are very poignant about saying your faith development is very important (to) your overall development, right?" she said.
Since the decision for dissolution was made, Armstrong Smith said GSWO troops have faced more hurdles to fulfilling their mission.
"The impact of not being able to sell the Girl Scout cookies at the fish fries or the parish events is having an impact," she said. "But once again, I've asked people (to) think outside the box, right?"
If you'd like to read more or sign the petition, you can find it here.
"This is a perfect opportunity. It's really about the girls and their faith development," Armstrong Smith said. "We feel that the Girl Scout method is perfectly aligned with how we want the girls to integrate with faith and service."
If you choose to sign, the petition will ask you to provide the following:
- Name
- Parish
- City
- Girl Scout connection
- Any additional comment
The letter will be delivered to incoming Archbishop Casey, according to the petition, sometime after March 31, 2025.
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