Michael Coren, who can explain Why Catholics Are Right, has taken to the pages of the Toronto Sun to explain why “[i]t’s been an extraordinary week for Roman Catholic education in Canada.”
First he discusses Christopher Karas, who accuses his school, École Secondaire Catholique Sainte-Famille, of “rampant and prolonged homophobic behaviour.” However, Coren being Coren, admits, “Frankly, I don’t know if Christopher Karas’ story is authentic, although there surely must be elements of truth in it,” but he does go on to say,
Let’s be candid here. Until and unless Catholic teaching regarding homosexuality changes – the catechism calls for tolerance and respect for gay people, but describes their sexuality as a “grave depravity” and “intrinsically disordered” – no gay student can feel genuinely comfortable in a Catholic school. Yet every student, gay or straight, should feel welcomed in a school that receives public funding.
Coren’s solution
is painful but surely inevitable. End the ersatz Catholic system, create a public alternative, liberate and return tax dollars so Catholic parents can, if they choose, send their children to alternative Catholic schools, and give choice to every student and parent.
At first glance, it looks like Coren is on the side of the large portion of people who are against publicly funded Catholic schools in Ontario. A second reading of the passage above makes it very clear that the only side that Coren is on is the Catholic side. Coren is criticizing the “ersatz Catholic [school] system.” For Ersatz, read fake or false, and in the passage above, Coren is suggesting a way for the government to fund real Catholic schools.
Coren wants the Ontario Government to return some of the tax dollars it will save by merging the two systems and give the money to Catholic parents who want their children to go to real Catholic schools where their children will be taught by “good teachers” who are “good people” and who are, especially, “good Catholics.” However, publicly funded Catholic schools by another name are still publicly funded Catholic schools.
According to Coren “the vast majority of Catholic teachers are Catholic in name only.” Why does Coren say this? He says it because
the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA) announced it would march in Toronto’s WorldPride parade in June . . . this will be seen as an official endorsement of the pride parade by teachers who are supposed to observe Catholic beliefs.
So you see the teachers who plan to march in Toronto’s WorldPride parade in June “may be good teachers and good people, but most are not good Catholics.” Good Catholic teachers who “observe Catholic beliefs” are not not welcoming to LGBTQ students because the Catholic teachers’
catechism calls for tolerance and respect for gay people, but describes their sexuality as a “grave depravity” and “intrinsically disordered” ; [therefore] no gay student can feel genuinely comfortable in a Catholic school.
Michael Coren is right when he says “no gay student can feel genuinely comfortable in a Catholic school,” and Christopher Karas agrees with him: