Boston, Mass., May 20, 2010 / 08:30 am
In response to the media firestorm over the Archdiocese of Boston contradicting the decision of a local Catholic elementary school to cancel the admission of the child of a same-sex couple, Cardinal Sean O'Malley condemned criticism of the school's priest who made the initial decision and outlined the need for the archdiocese to “formulate policies” with clearer guidelines.
Last week, St. Paul Catholic elementary school in Hingham, Mass. withdrew admission for the upcoming year to the 8-year-old child of a lesbian couple. Principal Cynthia Duggen and the parish's pastor Fr. James Rafferty told one of the women during a conference call that the boy could not attend because the parents' relationship “was in discord with the teachings of the Catholic Church,” which state that marriage can only take place between one man and one woman.
However, in a statement that Thursday, Dr. Mary Grassa O'Neill, superintendent of Catholic schools in Boston, countered St. Paul's decision, saying that the “Archdiocese does not prohibit children of same sex parents from attending Catholic schools.”
Dr. O'Neill issued her statement while Cardinal O'Malley was in Fatima, Portugal for the Holy Father's recent papal trip.