A middle school in Massachusetts can no longer call itself “Catholic” after it rejected an order from church leaders to pull down pride and Black Lives Matter flags.
Nativity School in Worcester, Massachusetts, is banned from calling itself a Catholic school, according to an order by the bishop of the Diocese of Worcester. Mass and sacraments are also banned from campus under the order.
“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,” wrote Bishop Robert McManus in a Thursday decree.
The decree was released this week to follow the end of the school year, a McManus spokesperson told the Boston Globe.
The flags have been displayed at the school since early 2021, according to the school. McManus was made aware of the flags in March of this year and asked that the school remove them because the Black Lives Matter flag “has at times been co-opted by some factions which also instill broad-brush distrust of police and those entrusted with enforcing our laws,” he said in an April statement. The pride flag is “often used to stand in contrast to consistent Catholic teaching that sacramental marriage is between a man and a woman,” McManus said.
McManus then said in a May 5 letter, “Why Symbols Matter,” that he opposed flying the BLM flag due to the organization’s self-professed “queer affirming” and “trans-affirming” nature, as well as its opposition to the nuclear family.
“The flags simply state that all are welcome at Nativity, and this value of inclusion is rooted in Catholic teaching,” Nativity School President Thomas McKenney said in a Wednesday statement. “Though any symbol or flag can be co-opted by political groups or organizations, flying our flags is not an endorsement of any organization or ideology, they fly in support of marginalized people.”
The school has run into financial stress due to its decision. Several donors have withdrawn their support for the school, while hundreds of others from across the country have stepped up to keep it funded.
The school intends to continue to display the flags and to appeal the decree through “appropriate channels,” which may eventually lead to the decision being handled by church leaders in Rome.
