A group of parents and churchgoers accused the Roman Catholic diocese of Orange County, Calif., of violating church doctrine by letting a gay couple enroll their children in a Catholic school, according to 365Gay.com .
The group wants Costa Mesa's St. John the Baptist School to accept only families that pledge to abide by Catholic teachings. That pledge would probably prohibit the men's two adopted boys from attending the school's kindergarten classes because of the church's opposition to same-sex relationships and adoption. However, school officials have already rejected the demands and issued a new policy stating that a family's background 'does not constitute an absolute obstacle to enrollment in the school.'
Joe Murray, U.S. convener for the gay Catholic organization Rainbow Sash, told Windy City Times that the group behind the demand 'appears to be fundamentalist Catholics who are saying that the children are responsible for the parents being gay. It's like the sins of the parents become the sins of the child.'
Murray, in a statement posted on Rainbow Sash's Web site, wondered how far things will go: ' [ W ] hat should be done about kids who were born out-of-wedlock? What about those kids of divorced and remarried people, or single parents? Should we expel kids whose parents are cohabiting?'
While Murray told Windy City Times that he is 'encouraged that the school stands by its decision to enroll,' he also said that he does not think it would be wise to directly 'add fuel to the fire' unless the school administrators change their minds.