After months of calling for Nativity School of Worcester to remove Pride and Black Lives Matter flags flying on its grounds, Bishop Robert McManus is issuing a formal decree Thursday announcing whether or not the school can identify itself as Catholic.
The Bishop of the Diocese of Worcester told the school in late May that if it did not remove the flags it will be “prohibited from identifying itself as a Catholic school,” according to a statement Nativity President Thomas McKenney emailed to the school community on Wednesday.
A formal decree announcing the Bishop’s decision will be published in the Catholic Free Press on Thursday, according to McKenney.
The school, which serves about 60 predominantly students of color from low-income families, is a part of the Jesuit network. McKenney said in a statement following the Bishop’s initial comments that while the school “proudly” operates in the Diocese of Worcester it is not a Diocesan school.
The school started flying the Pride and Black Lives Matter flags in January 2021 after students called on the school to be more just and inclusive.
The flags indicate that all are welcome at the school, McKenney said, and noted that Pope Francis has praised outreach to the LBGTQ+ community in the church and the U.S. Conference of Bishops supports the spirit of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Both flags are now widely understood to celebrate the human dignity of our relatives, friends, and neighbors who have faced, and continue to face hate and discrimination,” McKenney wrote.
The flags do not signify the schools endorsement of any organization or ideology, but rather its support of marginalized people, he said.
McManus first reached out to the school to remove the flags in March, saying they are inconsistent with Catholic teachings. Later in March, the flags were torn down by an unknown person, which McKenney said caused harm to the entire community.
In April, McManus made the call for removal public, releasing a statement where he questioned if a school committing itself to ideologies which he said are contrary to Catholic teachings is still a Catholic school.
“As the Bishop of this diocese, I must teach that it is imperative that a Catholic School use imagery and symbols which are reflective of that school’s values and principles so as to be clear with young people who are being spiritually and morally formed for the future,” McManus said.
The Bishop has held on to the stance publicly despite backlash. The Worcester Human Rights Commission had the Progressive Pride flag raised in front of city hall in response to the Bishop’s comments, College of the Holy Cross students petitioned for him to disinvited from commencement ceremonies at the school and alumni of the college held a protest in front of diocese’s chancery building.
In May, the Bishop released another statement specifically targeting the transgender community.
McManus said humans “are stewards of our bodies but not owners to do with as we please.”
“So, while I must love my neighbor regardless of what they consider their gender to be, no one, including individual popes, bishops or Catholic school teachers, can say that Catholic teaching can condone transgenderism, since that gender is a gift from God,” McManus wrote.
If the Bishop prohibits the school from identifying as Catholic in his decree Thursday, McKenney said the school will appeal the decision through appropriate channels provided by the Catholic Church.
The school will continue to display the flags, “to give visible witness to the school’s solidarity with our students, families and their communities. Commitment to our mission, grounded and animated by Gospel values, Catholic Social Teaching and our Jesuit heritage compels us to do so ,” McKenney said.
The school is stronger than ever, according to McKenney, thanks to the overwhelming support it has received in response to the incident.
No matter what the Bishop decides, McKenney said it will not change the school’s mission, operations or impact. The school does not receive funding from the diocese and operates independently from it.
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