Boston, Mass., May 13, 2010 / 15:57 pm
The Archdiocese of Boston countered the decision of a local Catholic elementary school that denied admission to the 8-year-old child of a lesbian couple. Although the elementary school acted on the grounds that the parents' relationship is in “discord” with Church teachings, the Archdiocese of Boston, in the absence of Cardinal Sean O'Malley, said on Thursday that the archdiocese “does not prohibit children of same sex parents from attending Catholic schools,” and that it would help the couple find another Catholic school for their child.
On Monday, one of the child's parents, who remained anonymous, told the Associated Press that St. Paul Elementary school in Hingham, Mass. rescinded her son's application to attend third grade in the fall. Principal Cynthia Duggen and parish priest Fr. James Rafferty told the woman during a conference call that the boy could not attend as 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 on 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.”
“We will work in the coming weeks to develop a policy to eliminate any misunderstandings in the future,” she noted.