Catholic moral doctrine holds that sexual intimacy outside of marriage is a serious sin and that marriage is a sacramental covenant between man and a woman. The archdiocese of Boston has no policy of excluding children of same-sex couples from Catholic schools, said a spokesman. However, to many in the Boston area, this seems not to be the case.
A women who identified herself as one of the parents of the eight-year-old boy told the Associated Press that her son had been accepted by the school for enrollment in the third grade for the fall. She told reporters that she and her partner had attended an open house at the school in February, after which they had applied for their son's enrollment in the fall. They had made it as far through the process as to have paid their deposit and order uniforms. However, after a visit to the pastor earlier in the month to discuss the boy's religious education and answer several questions about her relationship with her partner, they received a call informing them that their son would not be admitted.
Both women say they were very honest about their relationship. They included both of their names on the application where it asked for the names of parents, and had attended the open house together. When asked about their marriage status, they confirmed that although same-sex marriage is legal in the state of Massachusetts, they have not taken vows.
Attorney Shawn Gaylord of the New York-based Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network told the Globe that the private school is not covered by a Massachusetts anti-discrimination law. But Eliza Byard, the organization's Executive Director, said the decision was wrong, legal or not.
On the other side of the debate, Joseph Doyle, Executive Director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, commented in an interview with JBS.org, "The real issue is why these two individuals who radically repudiate the moral code of Catholicism want their child educated in a Catholic school. It seems they're looking for an excuse to litigate or an opportunity to embarrass the church in the media."
Earlier this year, the archdiocese of Denver, CO, defended a decision by a Catholic school in Boulder to prohibit children of a lesbian couple to stay in the school beyond kindergarten. In a written statement, the archdiocese said, "Parents living in open discord with Catholic teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment. To allow these children in these circumstances to continue in our school would be a cause of confusion for the student in that what they are being taught in school conflicts with that they experience in the home."
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"Issues of same-sex partners—whether married under the laws of a particular state, or not—are likely to continue to be areas of controversy with respect to the admissions practices of private-independent schools. Rather than being forced to formulate policy on the fly under the white hot lights of media scrutiny, all schools are encouraged to formulate their position on these and other controversial admissions-related matters before issues arise. As with all policy matters, the school's stance should be aligned with its mission, culture, and values and be vetted by the school's attorney for legal compliance."
