WORCESTER, MA — Two major local Catholic educational institutions will likely not adopt new policies on sexuality and gender sent this summer to area Catholic schools by Diocese of Worcester Bishop Robert McManus, according to a letter.
The break with McManus over adopting the policies reveals a split in the Roman Catholic education system over issues related to gender expression and LGBTQ+ inclusion. McManus' new policies, which were sent to 21 local Catholic schools in June, set strict boundaries prohibiting gender expression at a time when queer and transgender people in the U.S. have faced increasing political and physical attacks.
In an Aug. 11 letter, Xaverian Brothers General Superior Brother Daniel Skala and Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Sister Patty Chappell told McManus the boards of trustees of their religious orders had reviewed the new policies, which McManus sent to schools in the diocese on June 29. The boards decided not to incorporate the new policies in student handbooks at the local schools the two orders sponsor: the all-boys St. John's in Shrewsbury and the all-girls Notre Dame Academy in Worcester.
"We feel confident that our schools are responding to the issues raised in your memo in a manner that respects the dignity of all persons, aligns to the mission and charism of our sponsoring Orders, and protects and affirms our identity as Catholic schools," Skala and Chappell's letter said. "We support our respective boards’ recent determination to uphold their established practices, guided by the principles of our Church and Religious Orders, instead of incorporating the [new policies] into their handbooks.
"We will continue to work faithfully to ensure all school practices uphold the principles of Catholic moral and social teaching while respecting the sacred dignity of the students entrusted to our care," the letter continued.
The new policies handed down by McManus, called "Catholic Education and the Human Person," deem that students may only express their gender "in a manner consistent with their biological sex." The policy also prohibits same-sex relationships among students — or expressing support for same-sex relationships.
McManus said in a memo he considers it "untruthful" for schools to accept evolving cultural ideas about gender and sexuality.
"We do not serve anyone’s greater good by falsifying the truth, for it is only the truth that frees us for the full life that God offers to each of us," he wrote. "Thus, when a person experiences same-sex attraction or some form of gender dysphoria, such struggles do not change the biological fact of how God created that person, and it would be untruthful for the Catholic Church or our Catholic schools to pretend otherwise."
McManus also cited the teachings of Pope Francis, who has welcomed LGBTQ+ Catholics as worshipers. Francis has also said he does not support gay marriage and has criticized "gender theory."
McManus’ new policies may directly harm young people in Catholic schools, said Joshua Croke, president of the Worcester LGBTQ+ youth nonprofit Love Your Labels. Croke highlighted that school-age queer and trans people have higher rates of suicide than their peers due to mistreatment by mainstream society.
"If the Catholic Church fails to prioritize preserving life, affirming our youth, and celebrating their authentic identities, they're failing to create safe environments for learning and contributing to the violence we face daily as LGBTQ+ people," Croke said. "Our community, especially practicing Catholics who know these policies are harmful, needs to speak up and demand action against ignorance and bigotry."
The wording of McManus' new policy is an example of punishing people for being queer and trans, Croke said. The policy says any "expression of gender, sexual identity, or sexuality" that causes disruption in school could result in expulsion, language Croke said foments "an atmosphere of fear, submission, and authoritarianism."
Guillermo Creamer, a Worcester Human Rights Commission member, mayoral candidate, and graduate of the Jesuit-backed Nativity School, said much the same this week in reaction to the new policies.
"I came out at 16, and I am grateful to the educators, adults, and even Catholic mentors that embraced me and accepted me for who I am. I hope that young people who attend these schools know that they are loved and are seen for who they truly are," Creamer said.
Creamer also questioned why McManus would focus on gay and trans people in local schools rather than "address the decades of issues within his own diocese." The Diocese of Worcester this year published a new report on priests accused of sexual abuse but chose not to release their names — one of only 14 dioceses in the U.S. to withhold that information.
A diocese spokesperson did not answer a request to name which local Catholic schools would use the new policies. Apart from St. John's and Notre Dame, only the Venerini Academy in Worcester is sponsored by an independent religious order, the Venerini Sisters. The school did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday about whether it would adopt the new policies.
Although Venerini, Notre Dame and St. John's are in the Diocese of Worcester, they are not directly overseen by either McManus or Diocese Superintendent David Perda. Schools in the diocese that disagree with McManus can face punishment. McManus last year stripped the Nativity School's Catholic affiliation after the school declined to take down Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ flags.
Outside the three schools sponsored by independent religious orders, there are about 19 schools overseen by the diocese, including Saint Paul Diocesan High School in Worcester, that will likely begin using the new gender and sexuality policies when the school year begins.
Worcester state Sen. Robyn Kennedy, who attended Catholic schools throughout her childhood — including the Our Lady of the Angels, a diocesan school — urged McManus to reconsider the new policies and the "hurtful, exclusionary language" in them.
"My Catholicism taught me that we are to love and care for each other," she said Wednesday. "I want to speak directly to the young people who face isolation and harm by this policy — please know you are seen, you are valued, you are loved. Whoever you are, whoever you become, whoever you love, our world needs you. We are here to celebrate you."
RELATED: New Worcester Diocese Schools Policy Prohibits Gender Expression
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