Cardinal: Catholic schools welcome all
966
(0 votes, average 0 out of 5)
Jun 3, 2010
Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Boston welcome all children, even as they work to make sure the church’s teachings aren’t compromised, Cardinal Sean O’Malley said.
O’Malley’s comments were his first public remarks about a decision by St. Paul Elementary School in Hingham, Mass., to rescind a boy’s acceptance because his parents are gay.
The archdiocese’s head of education later called one of the boy’s parents, apologized and offered to help the 8-year-old enroll in another Catholic school. The archdiocese said it is creating a policy to clarify its schools don’t bar children with same-sex parents.
“It is true that we welcome people from all walks of life,” O’Malley wrote. “But we recognize that, regardless of the circumstances involved, we maintain our responsibility to teach the truths of our faith, including those concerning sexual morality and marriage.”
O’Malley defended the Rev. James Rafferty, the parish priest at St. Paul’s, who he said had come under “undue criticism” for the decision. One of the boy’s parents said Rafferty said her relationship was “in discord” with church teachings, which sees marriage as only between a man and a woman.
