Boston Catholic schools – Truth not essential, “inclusivity” is

There has been quite a bit of uproar over the decision of the Diocese of Boston to admit children of “same sex couples” to diocesan schools, reversing earlier decisions made at the parish level in the diocese, and opposite to a nationwide trend.  In defending the decision, the executive director of the Boston Catholic Education Foundation stated: “From the perspective of the foundation, the key part of this is that it does not exclude any group of students, and it promotes what is essential to Catholic education, which is inclusivity.”  Oh, really!  That’s what is essential to Catholic education, and, hence, to being Catholic – inclusivity!  Not Faith, Charity, or certainly not Truth, but “inclusivity,” which means, accepting the wisdom of the world and not the Truth of God. 

Such a statement is, I believe, categorically wrong, for while unity is certainly what God wills for His Church, that unity must be predicated on the acceptance of Truth, Truth grounded in the twin pillars of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, both pillars unanimous in their condemnation of those who commit homosexual acts, such as living together and sharing a bed.  Without adherence to that truth, the first act of faith according to St. Paul, there is no unity, there is only the illusion of sentimentality. 

Obviously, any such child admitted to a Catholic school would be sorely conflicted by the differing presentations of the Faith they received – one from the school, ostensibly presenting, faithfully, Catholic doctrine on homosexuality, and in the home seeing something totally different played out.  What a horrid position to be put in, for everyone involved. 

But in reality, isn’t this mostly just smoke and mirrors?  How many Catholic schools do you think convey Church doctrine on homosexuality?  How many do you think either ignore the subject, or reject that doctrine entirely?  The issue is primarily symbolic, because allowing the children with gay parents to enter the schools sends a very bad message, that in a particular diocese, they’re not too concerned about this particular aspect of Catholic dogma.  And that, perhaps, is saddest of all, that in so many diocese and schools, whole swaths of the Faith are either rejected, or simply ignored, because they are too difficult to defend against a hostile world.

Yesterday, in the 1962 Missal, was the Feast of St. Polycarp.  Interesting timing: “ST. POLYCARP, Bishop of Smyrna, was a disciple of St. John. He wrote to the Philippians, exhorting them to mutual love and to hatred of heresy. When the apostate Marcion met St. Polycarp at Rome, he asked the aged Saint if he knew him. “Yes,” St. Polycarp answered, “I know you for the first-born of Satan.” These were the words of a Saint most loving and most charitable, and specially noted for his compassion to sinners. He hated heresy, because he loved God and man so much.”

There are many ‘in the Church’ today who would have a profound dislike, bordering on hatred, for St. Polycarp.