7,000 say they support Kansas archdiocese banning kindergarten child of gay parents

March 14-- Mar. 14--More than 7,000 Catholics have signed a petition offering support to the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas on its decision to deny enrollment to the kindergartner of a gay couple at a Prairie Village Catholic school.

The petition, created on an online platform for "pro-life and pro-family communities" runs counter to an earlier petition signed by almost 2,000 members of Kansas City-area Catholic parishes asking officials to change their minds.

While it was not clear how many of the signatures on the latest petition were from local Catholics, it stated that it had been written by "concerned faithful" in the archdiocese. It called the scrutiny and outrage "attacks" against the church.

"It is clear that the rapid secularization of our society is increasingly causing hostility to the practice of the Catholic faith," the petition read. "Unfortunately, the lack of sound catechesis can leave many Catholics to form their consciences on these issues based on the opinions of the world rather than the immutable truths of the Gospel."

The archdiocese did not immediately return The Star's request for comment.

Local parishioners learned of the decision when the Rev. Craig J. Maxim of St. Ann Catholic Church wrote a letter to parents last month explaining the decision.

He told families that St. Ann had sought guidance from the archdiocese, which said the child's parents cannot "model behaviors and attitudes consistent with the Church's teachings."

"This creates a conflict for those children and what is experienced at home," Maxim wrote in the Feb. 27 letter. "It also could become a source of confusion for other school children."

More than 1,800 people signed a petition asking the church to reconsider a decision they felt "lacks the compassion and mercy of Christ's message." More than 650 people identified themselves as being part of St. Ann's parish and most other signatures were from local parishes.

That original petition was addressed to Archbishop Joseph Naumann and school Superintendent Kathy O'Hara. The most recent petition, created on March 12, offers support directly to Naumann.

"Especially given the activity of many pressure groups in the Church today, we are all the more encouraged by your steadfast decision to uphold the perennial truths of the moral law -- for everyone's good," the petition reads.

The controversy indicates a growing schism in Catholicism and other religious groups between those who want to see churches become more inclusive and others who say compassion does not mean compromising on traditional values.

Those who had spoken out against the archdiocese's decision said that the church was exemplifying a kind of hypocrisy. The petition questioned why the church would ban a child of gay parents, and not children of parents who remarried without annulments, used fertility treatments or birth control, or are not practicing Catholicism at all.

That's a viewpoint shared by the Rev. James Martin, a secretariat of communications for the pope, who has written about how the church can be more welcoming to LGBTQ people.

On Twitter, he called the archdiocese's decision "unjust discrimination."

"In this case, these rules are being applied selectively and used to target LGBT people specifically, as well as punishing the child," Martin said in a tweet.

But the archdiocese has said it did not feel it was " fair, loving or compassionate" to subject a child to a school environment that would promote values it said would be in conflict with his or her home life.

And the archdiocese's supporters said faith leaders should "never compromise" on religious doctrine.

The petition also read: "We are saddened to witness such attacks directed against our Mother the Church, and against you personally, in the aftermath of the decision of Saint Ann Catholic School not to admit as a student the child of a same sex "couple." Although we are all sinners, and we cannot judge the intentions of the persons involved as faith-filled Catholics striving to raise all Catholic children in a hostile world, we know the grave damage that can be done by scandal."

While the archdiocese decides on the "application of Church doctrine" on its parochial schools and parishes, policies can vary across the country. A Catholic school in South Carolina recently came under fire when a priest denied enrollment to a lesbian couple's child, while the archdiocese of Boston has a policy that prohibits excluding any "categories of students."

On the Missouri side, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph does not currently have a policy related to same-sex parents and enrollment, said spokesman Jack Smith.

"In general, we ask all parents to understand and support the fact that our schools teach the fullness of Catholic teaching, including its teaching on marriage and human sexuality," Smith said.

A Rockhurst High School spokesman sent The Star a copy of its parent-student handbook, but did not address questions whether the enrollment of a child with gay parents would be an issue. According to the handbook, the high school does not discriminate on the basis of color, race, national or ethnic origin. Sexual orientation or gender identity are not included in the policy.

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