A controversial sign that appeared outside of a Catholic church has been removed following complaints that it promoted same-sex marriage.
St Columbia-Brigid Roman Catholic Church in Buffalo, New York put up the sign last week with the message, ‘Jesus had 2 dads and he turned out just fine’.
The Rev. Roy Herberger, 73, pastor of the church, said it was meant to be an encouraging message for children in the congregation who had stepparents, Yahoo Parenting reported.

However, some people interpreted the message to be one supporting same-sex marriage, which would go against the Catholic Church’s long-held teachings. The sign was taken down on Tuesday.

Herberger said that he had gotten the phrase for the changeable letter sign after searching online for ‘funny church signs’, according to Buffalo News.

‘I only had one purpose,’ Herberger told Yahoo Parenting. ‘After 48 years in the church, I see so many kids with stepparents, or even in single-family homes or being raised by grandparents, who feel that they’re not as good as other kids who have a nuclear mother-and-father family.

‘I’ve seen what that does sometimes when they’re comparing themselves to that nuclear family, and I wanted to say, “Hang in there. You’re good. Things will work out for you.”

‘I wanted to provide support and understanding for kids in that situation.’

However, several people who commented on the church’s website called Herberger’s actions ‘blasphemous’ and ‘demonic’ – and one person even called for him to resign.

The website has since been flooded with positive comments in support of the sign, with many people praising him for promoting a message of ‘love’.

‘Too often with the Church we see people dwelling on Dogma rather then the teachings of love that Christ preached,’ one comment read.

Bishop Richard J. Malone of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo said in a statement that after he learned of the sign he had it immediately taken down, according to Catholic Family News.

He said Herberger told him that the ‘2 Dads’ were supposed to refer to a child who has a father and a stepfather.

‘There are several children in his parish who have both a father and stepfather,’ Malone said in the statement.

‘However, given the potential for the meaning of this message to be misunderstood and even perceived in a heretical way, it was immediately removed.
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A diocesan spokesman told the Buffalo News that on Monday afternoon Malone had to field calls from around the world from callers protesting the message on the sign.

Catholic Family News said on its website that ‘it seems hard to imagine that anyone in our time not being aware of what the “2 dads” term can imply, especially since the pro-homosexual book “Heather Has 2 Mommies” has been around since 1989’.

A parishioner of the congregation said she interpreted the sign’s message through her life experience which includes once being a single mother, having children by two different fathers and feeling unaccepted by the church, Buffalo News reported.

Petra Fontanez, now married, said St Columbia-Brigid has made her feel welcomed and that she thinks the sign is great.

While Herberger admitted that he is liberal which has caused issues with ‘super-conservative traditional people in the past’, he insisted that that there was no hidden meaning behind the sign, according to Yahoo Parenting.

He told the website that the sign and his sermons are a challenge to be more open to Christ’s teachings – his ‘openness’, ‘acceptance’ and his ‘love’.

Since the sign was taken down on Tuesday it has been replaced with a new sign that reads, ‘Walmart isn’t the only saving place. Welcome,’ which has reportedly not received any complaints.

Herberger said moving forward he will be ‘much more’ thoughtful with his sign selections.