A Massachusetts middle school is no longer allowed to describe itself as Catholic after it refused to take down Black Lives Matter and gay pride flags, the bishop of the Diocese of Worcester said.
Bishop Robert J. McManus issued an official decree removing support for the Nativity School of Worcester after he said it was sending "mixed, confusing and scandalous" messages about the church's stance on moral and social issues.
The bishop said Thursday that the flags — which are flown outside the school underneath the American flag — "embody specific agendas or ideologies" that contradict Catholic teaching.
"It is my contention that the 'Gay Pride' flag represents support of gay marriage and actively living a LGBTQ+ lifestyle," McManus said.
"This is also true of 'Black Lives Matter.' The Catholic Church teaches that all life is sacred and the Church certainly stands unequivocally behind the phrase 'black lives matter' and strongly affirms that all lives matter," he said.
The bishop went on to say that the Black Lives Matter movement promotes "a platform that directly contradicts Catholic social teaching on the importance and role of the nuclear family and seeks to disrupt the family structure in clear opposition to the teachings of the Catholic Church."
McManus said that there had been months of discussion about alternatives to flying the flags, but the school refused to take them down.
School president Thomas McKenney said they began flying the flags in January 2021 after students, the majority of whom are people of color, called on the school to be more inclusive.
"These flags simply state that all are welcome at Nativity and this value of inclusion is rooted in Catholic teaching," McKenney said in a statement Wednesday. "Though any symbol or flag can be co-opted by political groups or organizations, flying our flags is not an endorsement of any organization or ideology, they fly in support of marginalized people."
The school said the bishop asked them to remove the flags in March. When the flags remained up, the school was told that it would be "prohibited from identifying itself as a Catholic school," McKenney said.
He said the school plans to appeal the bishop's decision, and at this time will not be taking the flags down.
School officials and McManus could not immediately be reached on Saturday.
In addition to not being allowed the use of the Catholic title, the school is prohibited from holding mass and sacraments on school grounds as well as other repercussions.
Nativity School of Worcester, located about 50 miles from Boston, was founded in 2003 and described itself as an independent, Catholic, Jesuit middle school. It provides tuition-free education to boys in grades five through eight.
It was the only tuition-free Catholic school in the Diocese of Worcester and the only school in Central Massachusetts that solely educates students experiencing economic hardships, according to McKenney.