Another Catholic school embroiled in battle over Church teaching on sexuality

April 17, 2014

Another controversy has erupted at a Roman Catholic school after students and parents reacted with outrage to Church teaching on sexuality as presented at a school assembly.

Father Francis "Rocky" Hoffman spoke to students at The Prout School in Wakefield, Rhode Island on April 4. During the course of his talk, he apparently made comments critical of homosexuality and divorce that some students found offensive.

The Diocese of Providence's spokesman on the issue has seemed to agree with Hoffman's critics. But Catholic observers suggest the controversy is part of a growing tendency to uproar against Catholics for simply professing Church teaching on marriage and homosexuality.

"The response to angry mobs demanding that Catholic schools not teach Catholic teaching has been to wave the white flag and toss the hapless offender who committed the crime of doing what the Church says we should all do under the bus," Hamilton wrote. "If every Catholic who believes what the Church teaches gets thrown under the bus for being politically incorrect enough to say so in public, we're going to need a lot bigger bus."