Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas has hit back at criticism of a Catholic school that refused to admit the child of a same-sex couple.

Writing in archdiocesan newspaper The Leaven, the archbishop said: "Not surprisingly, the secular media has been very negative in their portrayal of the decision" by St Ann Catholic School in Prairie Village.

"Some St Ann parishioners, as well as many more non-parishioners from both Missouri and Kansas, have signed a petition urging me to reconsider the decision," he wrote. "I believe most petitioners and many other critics of the decision are well-intentioned. They have a genuine concern for the child and the same-sex couple.