Boston cardinal supports pastor in school admission row, says policies still being created

First, Cardinal O'Malley tried to partner with an insurer who provides abortion. 

Second, he provided Ted Kennedy, an openly dissenting pro-abort, a  grandiose Catholic funeral.

Third, he now he wants to admit the child of a couple who is clearly opposing Catholic teaching to a Catholic school in his diocese.

Too bad he's only 65.  (at 75, he'd have to offer his resignation :)

In response to the media firestorm over the Archdiocese of Boston contradicting the decision of a local Catholic elementary school to cancel the admission of the child of a same-sex couple, Cardinal Sean O'Malley condemned criticism of the school's priest who made the initial decision and outlined the need for the archdiocese to “formulate policies” with clearer guidelines.

Last week, St. Paul Catholic elementary school in Hingham, Mass. withdrew admission for the upcoming year to the 8-year-old child of a lesbian couple. Principal Cynthia Duggen and the parish's pastor Fr. James Rafferty told one of the women during a conference call that the boy could not attend because the parents' relationship “was in discord with the teachings of the Catholic Church,” which state that marriage can only take place between one man and one woman.

However, in a statement that Thursday, Dr. Mary Grassa O'Neill, superintendent of Catholic schools in Boston, countered St. Paul's decision, saying that the “Archdiocese does not prohibit children of same sex parents from attending Catholic schools.”  What a farce...they are openly dissenting.

Dr. O'Neill issued her statement while Cardinal O'Malley was in Fatima, Portugal for the Holy Father's recent papal trip.

On May 19, the Boston cardinal released a statement defending the priest, saying that one “of the very unfortunate results of the public reporting on the issue was undue criticism of Father James Rafferty who is pastor at St. Paul Parish, and who I consider one of our finest pastors.”

“He made a decision about the admission of the child to St. Paul School based on his pastoral concern for the child,” the cardinal added. “I can attest personally that Father Rafferty would never exclude a child to sanction the child’s parents.”