Charlotte diocesan, school officials apologize for controversial presentation on homosexuality

April 03, 2014

Two weeks after a Nashville Dominican nun spoke to students at one of North Carolina’s largest Catholic schools and delivered a presentation critical of homosexuality, diocesan and school officials offered apologies at a meeting attended by an estimated 900 parents.

“Many said that” the first part of Sister Jane Dominic Laurel’s presentation at Charlotte Catholic High School “was excellent and fully in line with the Catholic faith,” said Father Roger Arnsparger, the Diocese of Charlotte’s vicar of education, as quoted on the diocesan newspaper’s website.

“There was unfortunately a misunderstanding about the content of the last part of the presentation,” he continued. “In that part, I understand that Sister used data from the Linacre Quarterly, a reputable journal, and from other sources. That data can be debated and, in fact, is debated back and forth by scholars who are researching the areas of human sexuality. Because of the ongoing debate, it would have been better if these studies and data were omitted from the presentation to the students.”

The school’s dean of students and two assistant principals apologized for not informing parents about the presentation beforehand. (The school’s principal was placed on leave in March amid reports of mishandling of funds.) “Parents should have been better informed,” said David Hains, spokesman for the Diocese of Charlotte, according to the Charlotte Observer.

At the parent meeting, “there were comments from parents who supported the school and the assembly, but most of the comments were critical,” the diocesan newspaper reported. “Many parents’ emotions boiled over, with arguments even carrying over into the school’s parking lot when the meeting ended after two hours.”

“Two observers called the meeting’s climate ‘disrespectful’ and ‘hate-filled,’” the report added. Parents who sought to defend the priest responsible for the nun’s speaking engagement “were shouted down by other people.”

The Charlotte Observer reported that the Nashville Dominicans have canceled Sister Laurel’s speaking engagement at the Diocese of Charlotte’s upcoming youth conference.

“They felt like this just wasn’t a good time for the sister to speak again in the diocese,” said Hains.

 

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Further information:

• Angry parents condemn Charlotte Catholic student assembly on sexuality (Catholic News Herald)
• Nearly 1,000 attend Charlotte Catholic meeting on nun’s speech (Charlotte Observer)
• Controversial nun cancels May speech in Charlotte diocese (Charlotte Observer)
• Anger at Charlotte Catholic school after speaker criticizes homosexuality (CWN, 3/28)
• Catholic school news roundup: Seattle, Charlotte, North Dakota (CWN, 3/7)