Saturday, March 6, 2010

Sins of the fathers....

or in this case, the mothers? From Colorado:
A preschool student at a Catholic school in Boulder will not be allowed to return next school year because of what is going on at home....

The student's parents are two women and the Denver Archdiocese says their homosexual relationship violates the school's beliefs and policy....."No person shall be admitted as a student in any Catholic school unless that person and his/her parent(s) subscribe to the school's philosophy and agree to abide by the educational policies and regulations of the school and Archdiocese," the statement said.....

School staff members, who asked to remain anonymous, say they are disgusted by the Archdiocese's decision.

One employee said she could not believe a student will have to suffer because of his or her parents' sexual orientation.
Over on AmericaBlog, a reader comments,
"No word yet on whether they're rounding up the kids of divorced parents who haven't sought a church annulment, or worse, weren't married in the Catholic church to begin with."
I think that's a legitimate question, don't you?

15 comments:

Göran Koch-Swahne said...

Indeed! The whole thing is disgusting.

it's margaret said...

Yes. I do.

Ann said...

Kids of murderers, adulterers? Why don't they start with the 10 commandments and leave loving parents alone. arrggh! And as if kids should have to answer for their parents -- the Bible says no in many places - Jeremiah, Jesus, etc

Marshall Scott said...

Hmmm. I imagine it also violates the policies of the Archdiocese and the Roman Catholic Church to commit falsehood by failing to pay a pledge made to the Church; or perhaps even by joining a congregation simply to get a break on school tuition. Are they also looking for those folks?

IT said...

From the priest's blog:
The issue is not about our not accepting “sinners.” It is not about punishing the child for the sins of his or her parents. It is simply that the lesbian couple is saying that their relationship is a good one that should be accepted by everyone; and the Church cannot agree to that. People who are divorced do not say divorce is good. There are no pro-divorce parades. Divorce is a tragedy for everybody. So there’s no comparing other issues to the issue of gay marriage. Actually, by this decision we really want to protect the child and his or her parents from the necessary conflict that their relationship would bring to a clear-seeing and committed Catholic community.


That's a nonsense. People remarried after divorce are living in a state of sin that is not condoned by the church. Unless they are completely celibate, they are precisely the same in terms of sexual immorality as the lesbian parents.

June Butler said...

Göran said it for me.

Erika Baker said...

A clear-seeing Catholic community? If only!

Jarred said...

Actually, by this decision we really want to protect the child and his or her parents from the necessary conflict that their relationship would bring to a clear-seeing and committed Catholic community.

I'm sorry, but anyone who can say "we're discriminating against you for your own protection" with a straight face is either a bald-faced liar or completely delusional. Either possibility leaves that person unfit for the priesthood, in my book.

Erika Baker said...

I agree with Jarred. That's really saying "we're creating the conflict we're then wanting to protect you from, and we're protecting you from it so we can continue to create this kind of conflict".

Anonymous said...

I suspect other parents complained. I taught in a religious school and people pay so their kids have a "wholesome atmosphere" and aren't taught that gay or unmarried relationships, drugs,drinking, gambling,etc are OK. They pay not to think about it. Parents probably threatened to pull their kids out and the diocese found the whole thing embarrassing and said, "We can lose 1 or 5, which will it be?"

The "readmitted" caught my eye. Did the school know it was a lesbian family when they accepted the child, or did one mom enroll the child saying she was single? Parents at our school signed a statement of beliefs and breaking those terms was cause for removal or non-admittance. Did the parents sign one? It happens and not just in Catholic schools.

Chris H.

IT said...

Un less the school is equally harsh on divorced-remarried parents, who are equally "breaking the rules", they are demonstrating bigotry rather than defending their faith.

But really, about time the average Catholic realizes what it is the church hierarchy really stands for. It's not about morality, sexual or otherwise. And it sure as hell ain't about protecting chjildren.

It's about attacking Teh Gay.

dr.primrose said...

Mary Glasspool has sufficient standing committee consents according to Diocese of Los Angeles - L.A. Diocese receives majority of Standing Committee consents to elections of two bishops suffragan:

***

The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Los Angeles has received the necessary majority of Standing Committee consents to the December 2009 elections of the Rev. Canon Diane Jardine Bruce and the Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool as bishops suffragan to serve the six-county Los Angeles diocese.


The Los Angeles Standing Committee reported March 10 that within the last 64 days it has received 61 consents needed to the election of Glasspool, and 78 consents to the election of Bruce. In each election a majority of 56 consents was needed from the counterpart Standing Committees of the 110 dioceses of the Episcopal Church.

The consent process to Glasspool’s election is not complete until the Presiding Bishop’s Office in New York confirms that it has received the necessary majority of consents from bishops with jurisdiction in the dioceses of the Church. Meanwhile, the Presiding Bishop’s Office has notified the Los Angeles Standing Committee that 58 of the 61 Standing Committee consents received have been verified to date.

JCF said...

TBTG! [to (+)Glasspool's consents]

Erika Baker said...

Chris,
how detailed is that "statement of beliefs"? Does it affirm the religious teachings of the church or do you have to comply with every smidgeon of its "moral" teachings too?
What I know from across the pond is that you have to affirm your Christian beliefs and that your child is being raised as a Catholic. So a lesbian couple could sign that with integrity.

Anonymous said...

Erikia, both. The statement has literal understanding of the Creeds,etc. and specific examples of behavior that is or is not a "Good Christian witness"--neither children of gays, nor kids of parents living together but not married would be accepted unless they lied and actions both by parents or kids can get the students removed from the school,although kids usually got a chance to publicly apologize before being expelled. Drinking,drugs,gambling are specifically mentioned both for parents and students and the good witness bit covers what isn't specifically mentioned, so if Dad has dinner with a woman who's not Mom-he better have a good excuse if one of the other parents sees him and complains, so to me guilt in the case above depends on the school's rules. Although, workers at the school being upset may mean that THEY were the ones ignoring rules the diocese set up.
Chris H.