Catholic students in San Francisco are speaking out against their archbishop — and they chose one of the holiest days on the church’s calendar to do so.
On Ash Wednesday, hundreds of students and parents, some with ashes still streaked across their foreheads, gathered outside Saint Mary’s Cathedral to protest morality clauses for Catholic school teachers proposed by San Francisco’s Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, ABC News’ local affiliate reported.
Hannah Regan, a 14-year-old student at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, was one of the many who sang and recited prayers outside the church. She’s been in the city’s Catholic school system for about 10 years and loves the community she’s grown up with. But on Wednesday, she came out with a challenge, holding up a sign that read, “Teach Love, Teach Justice, Teach Acceptance.”
The hashtag #TeachAcceptance has become a rallying cry, she said.
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Illo later apologized for the incident, admitting that some of the items for reflection were not age-appropriate.
Still, it may take much more than an apology for some families to be reconciled with the archdiocese.
Hannah says she hopes her school will one day be an open and welcoming place for both teachers and students who are struggling to make sense of their own sexuality.
“Hopefully Catholic schools will not only be publicly supportive, but willing to help struggling LGBT youth and lessen social stigma against birth control and sex education,” she said. “Rather than boxing it up.”
