A Massachusetts couple suing the state’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) say they were “shocked” when they were first informed of the reason their foster application was denied.

Mike and Catherine “Kitty” Burke, both devout Catholics, filed a federal lawsuit this week with the help of religious liberty group Becket Law, claiming that the state restricted them from fostering children due to their adherence to Catholic teachings on gender, sexuality and marriage.

The couple said the state listed only one reason for denying their foster application, which was that they “would not be affirming to a child who identified as LGBTQIA.”

Discussing their lawsuit on “The Story” Wednesday, the Burkes said they are taking the issue to court because it represents a larger problem surrounding the state’s allowance to decline to issue foster licenses to religious applicants.

“We believe the reason we were rejected is because we were very vocal in the fact that we are practicing Catholics, very traditional Catholics, and we stand firm in the church’s beliefs on traditional marriage and sexuality. And that was pretty clear in their reasoning,” Kitty told Martha MacCallum.