A Student with Same-Sex Parents Was Banned from Kansas Catholic School

Over 1,000 parishioners at St. Ann Catholic Church in Prairie Village, Kansas, and surrounding parishes in the area, signed a petition decrying the church's decision to exclude students from their school because the child's parents are in a same-sex marriage, local affiliate KCTV reports.

"We respectfully ask that you prayerfully reconsider the policy to deny admission to students on the basis of his or her parent's same sex union," the petition reads. "One of the many reasons that we choose to send our children to St. Ann is the welcoming culture, which is central to the original ministry of Jesus Christ."

The petition continues, "We do as Jesus would have done and welcome our friends and neighbors when they knock. We treat others as we would like to be treated. We are inclusive and try to refrain from judgment. We are proud of the community that we have built. We are proud of these values that we share with our children."

In a statement, the Kansas City archdiocese, the area overseen by archbishop Joseph Naumann, said, "same sex parents cannot model behaviors and attitudes regarding marriage and sexual morality consistent with essential components of the Church's teachings."

"This creates conflict for those children and what is experienced at home. It could also become a source of confusion for other children," the statement continues. "For these reasons the archdiocese advised against admission."

Parents learned of the decision last month when Craig Maxim, St. Ann's pastor, sent a letter home to families telling them of the decision. Maxim said he sought out the help of the archdiocese to make the decision and they decided not to admit the child.

The petition further points out that the diocese already accepts students from parents who are not Catholic. It also asks the archdiocese to think of the many ways -- divorce, vasectomies, remarriage and fertility treatment -- that "modern marriages may be inconsistent with the Church's teaching."

Because St. Ann's is a private institution that does not receive federal funding, it is within its legal rights to deny entry to a student based on the sexual orientation of their parents. Catholic schools in Massachusetts and South Carolina have also recently dealt with the question of whether to allow children of same sex parents, the Kansas City Star reports.

A handful of Kansas lawmakers also recently introduced a bill that calls same-sex marriages "parody marriages" and calls for an elevated status for opposite-sex marriages.

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