A bishop in Massachusetts has issued a formal decree that a local middle school “may no longer identify itself as Catholic” because it refuses to remove Pride and Black Lives Matter (BLM) flags from its campus.
The declaration from Bishop Robert McManus of the Diocese of Worcester came down on Thursday and argues that the two flags “embody specific agendas and ideologies (that) contradict Catholic social and moral teaching.”
McManus learned about the flags in March and wrote an open letter to the school in early May, threatening the Nativity School of Worcester that it “has to decide if it wants to continue to be a Catholic institution or not.”
The school has been flying the Pride and BLM flags since January 2021 and refused to take them down.
To McManus though, “The flying of these flags in front of a Catholic school sends a mixed, confusing and scandalous message to the public about the Church’s stance on these important moral and social issues.”
“It is my contention that the ‘Gay Pride’ flag represents support of gay marriage and actively living a LGBTQ+ lifestyle.
“This is also true of ‘Black Lives Matter. The Catholic Church teaches that all life is sacred and the Church certainly stands unequivocally behind the phrase ‘black lives matter’ and strongly affirms that all lives matter.”
After the current school year, McManus said the school cannot identify or describe itself as Catholic. Additionally, the school will not be allowed to celebrate mass or perform sacraments on its grounds, be listed in the Diocesan Directory, or fundraise with diocesan institutions.
A bishop serving on the board of trustees for the Nativity School of Worcester will also be removed.
McKenney pushed back on McManus’s characterization of the Pride and BLM flags, saying “Both flags are now widely understood to celebrate the human dignity of our relatives, friends and neighbors who have faced, and continue to face hate and discrimination… They fly in support of marginalized people.”
The school will continue to fly its flags “to give visible witness to the school’s solidarity with our students, families and their communities,” and is looking to appeal the bishop’s decision.
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Good for u bishop!!! Stand on Gods word!!!
Wow that’s great to see we have some priests and bishops who stand with biblical principles as many have fallen short. Our new administration who vowed to be Catholic are anything but !! They are evil and perverted and woke. I’m proud to hear about this action!!
That school is not following the rules of the Catholic church so they no longer are a TRUE CATHOLIC SCHOOL
God Bless Bishop McManus.