“Being the archdiocese, the archbishop has pastoral responsibility for every Catholic in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. And so that applies to everyone who goes to a Catholic church, any parishioner, and these students who attend Catholic schools,” Jones said. “When it comes to Catholic teaching, the archdiocese is the arbiter of what is Catholic and what is not.”

“Hope and Holiness” does not mention whether such LGBT clubs should be formed or not. It says that although these groups can provide emotional support to individuals, there is also a “danger” in such groups’ encouraging the labeling of sexuality and gender identity. It also says that “adolescents are apt to suffer in a particular way from labeling themselves as gay.”

The Catholic Church has said it is inclusive of LGBT people but has been criticized by those people for staunchly opposing same-sex marriage. The Catholic Church has no official position on conversion therapy.