MARY GRASSA O’Neill, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Boston Archdiocese, crafted an admirable compromise to the disappointing rejection of a child with lesbian parents by St. Paul Elementary School in Hingham. And the Catholic Schools Foundation, chaired by Cardinal Sean O’Malley, took a courageous step in asserting that Catholic schools with exclusionary admissions policies will not receive foundation grants.
Both the foundation and O’Neill sent important signals that the region’s Catholic leadership does not share the opinions of the school in Hingham, which withdrew its acceptance of an 8-year-old boy, apparently because his parents are a lesbian couple.
The school’s decision was rash and hard-hearted. But O’Neill, rather than seek to overrule local officials, called one of the boy’s parents and offered to help enroll the child in another Catholic school. It’s a sensitive gesture, since the boy will thus be spared any backlash from the controversy in Hingham.
At times, Catholic institutions have sought to punish individuals whose lives conflict with church teachings. Sometimes, those punishments serve mainly to point up double standards. The church regards homosexuality as a sin. But the church also disapproves of divorce, adultery, sex before marriage, and a range of other practices. Taking aim at gay families, who are more vulnerable in society, rather than the larger numbers of divorced parents or straight couples engaging in sex outside marriage, seems less an act of principle than of prejudice.
Even by those standards, the action by St. Paul Elementary School was disturbing, for it targets a child simply because of who his parents are. Responsible educators shouldn’t engage in such behavior. And O’Neill made it clear that she does not. “Academic rigor, faith formation, Gospel values, strong character development, respect, and support are hallmarks of our schools,’’ she declared in her statement.
She and O’Malley deserve credit for emphasizing respect over fear.
