Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila’s fight to turn some preschool children away from the schools under his control has no legal basis, no moral standing, and no foundation in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Would Aquila take Jesus’ words – “let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” – and add a caveat “unless they (or their parents) are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer?”

The Archdiocese of Denver’s lawsuit filed against the state of Colorado is jarring. In 35 pages, the head of Colorado’s northern Catholic churches alleges that his preschools cannot teach LGBTQ children or the children of gay parents because it would violate the church’s sincerely held religious belief that homosexuality and living as transgender are sins.

The dioceses responded to my question about how the school screens students for admission with a statement from Nick Reeves, counsel with the law firm Becket representing the Archdiocese of Denver. “Parents who send their children to Archdiocesan schools expect that their children will receive not only an excellent secular education, but also learn the truths and the values of the Catholic faith and experience what it is like to live in a vibrant Catholic community … Teachers and principals therefore meet with prospective students and their families before enrollment to explain what the school offers and ask if the family is open to the education and Catholic values that we teach in the classroom.”

The lawsuit, which also bristles at the hiring of LGBTQ staff, focuses on that screening process with the outcome made clear — preschools “may be obligated not to enroll” LGBTQ students and students with same-sex or transgender parents.

Refusing to teach gay kids would be legally acceptable, although morally bankrupt, under America’s almost iron-clad Freedom of Religion found in the First Amendment. However, Aquila wants to take the state of Colorado’s new preschool funding for pupils enrolling this year without being required to serve all students regardless of who they are.

Our lawmakers have decreed (correctly in my opinion) that homosexuality and transgenderism are not a choice but a part of who someone is and that these individuals should be protected from discrimination by our laws.

And make no mistake, the Archdiocese of Denver refusing to teach children who are gay or have gay parents is discrimination, despite the lawsuit frequently saying that it is not discriminatory. It is also the kind of exclusion and oppression that Jesus abhorred during his time on Earth.

We all recognize the bold hypocrisy coming from a church that for decades refused to kick priests out of schools despite their sexual abuse of children being common knowledge among the dioceses.

This lawsuit makes clear that in the eyes of the church, there is one sin held above all others — homosexuality.

The archbishop, who has been in power since 2012, is not refusing to serve other sinners – just gay and transgender people and kids. The lawsuit even admits that the children of cohabitating parents (unmarried adults living together in sin) are not turned away from the schools during the admissions interviews and instead calls for such couples to be “treated with respect.”

However, the lawsuit says gay parents will “likely lead to intractable conflicts.”

How insulting.

In the same passages in Matthew 19 where Jesus admonished the apostles for turning children away from his blessing, Jesus tells a man that eternal life will come from following the commandments – “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Pressed for more, Jesus offers “if you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.”

He does not list homosexuality, yet somehow that is the sin so great that the diocese cannot teach children from gay households?

Until Aquila casts aside the children of wealthy white-collar criminals and digs into the fidelity of every marriage to suss out any children whose parents have been unfaithful, he has no moral standing to say he cannot teach the children of gay couples because it is against his firmly held religious belief.

Jesus made clear his disdain for usery and charging interest on loans. Will Aquila also cast out the children of bankers?

Until Aquila learns to love his neighbor as himself – regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity  – he should not be running the Denver Archdiocese.

Yes, I will be accused of engaging in “revisionist gay theology.” I am aware that also in Matthew 19, Jesus says that marriage is between a man and a woman and emphasizes the importance of gender-roles in marriage.

But you will be shocked to find out that teaching preschool students – reading, math, civics and to love Jesus — does not require the performance of any holy sacraments, most assuredly not the Sacrament of Marriage, although there was a disgraceful period in the church’s history when it condoned child brides.

Nor will church leaders be required to perform or sanction any divorces. Nor does teaching preschool students require the church to recognize homosexual marriage. I do not buy that having a gay couple come to school to watch their 4-year-old perform in a Christmas recital is the equivalent of the church gracing and blessing that marriage.

The state of Colorado has said that to get state funding, preschool programs cannot prescreen children for admission as part of the program that places children through a lottery system based on a parent’s school-choice preferences. The lawsuit says that the diocese advised schools not to participate.

Aquila recently wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal in which he said “The archdiocese’s policy allows schools to discern whether they can admit those who actively live or encourage sexual expression contrary to church teaching.”

This lawsuit tells a very different story.

Aquila also wrote in that op-ed that “The Catholic Church isn’t perfect in its efforts to welcome those who don’t live according to her teachings. We need to cooperate better with God’s grace, help people discover Jesus Christ and more radically love those who disagree with us to build understanding rather than sow division.”

Filing a lawsuit so you can refuse to teach 4 and 5-year-olds whose parents are gay is the exact opposite of Aquila’s efforts to “radically love those who disagree with us.” Like many Catholics, I disagree with segments of the church’s teachings and its leadership, but no one has ever told me my presence in the church or the presence of my children threatens “compromising its mission and Catholic identity.” In fact, the priests I have known have always welcomed difficult questions and discussions and disagreements around faith.

Targeting the most innocent among us for exclusion is sowing division and spreading hate.

If preschoolers with gay parents aren’t welcome in the church, then all of us sinners should question if we are welcome in the church, either.

Megan Schrader is the editor of The Denver Post’s opinion pages. She attended St. Joseph Catholic Church in Grand Junction growing up, was baptized and confirmed as an adult in Oklahoma City, and was married at Holy Ghost Church in Denver.

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