Gay Catholic group Dignity USA, in alliance with Catholic group Call to Action and gay Catholic groups New Ways Ministry and Fortunate Families took out a full-page ad in Sunday's Denver Post and Boulder Daily Camera opposing the recent decision by The Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School to expel two children because they have lesbian parents.
The ad reads, "It's hurtful to see the Catholic Church rejecting gay people. But rejecting children because their parents are gay? That hurt can last a lifetime."
Adding, "As Catholics, it is deeply hurtful to see the Archdiocese of Denver forcibly remove children from their educational programs to send a message of rejection and exclusion to those children's parents. Lesbian and gay people are part of our families and part of the church. To see their children hurt in this way fills our hearts with grief, and it tears at the very fabric of the community."
Said DignityUSA Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke: "The Archdiocese of Denver has the legal right to expel these young children, but that doesn't mean that it's the right thing to do. We grieve at seeing these children hurt in this way, and we hope that the Archdiocese will listen to the voices of those who express their concerns about how these children are being treated.”
Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput defended the school's decision last week.