Catholic U's Hosting of "Pro-Choice" Kerry Sparks Controversy

Cybercast News Service has an interesting run-down on Catholic University's recent history with regard to pro-abortion speakers:

(CNSNews.com) - Former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) has been approved to speak this year at the Catholic University of America, a decision that has sparked discontent among many conservative Catholics.

Catholic University's College Democrats will host Kerry. Although his appearance has been accepted by the school's administration, the College Democrats are still negotiating with the senator's office about a specific date for his speech.

"Senator Kerry is a remarkable lawmaker," Mark Arnone, president of the Catholic University of America (CUA) College Democrats, told Cybercast News Service. "His work spans many facets of politics and policy, and I believe him to be an upstanding individual who can speak to many of the issues that are affecting the national community."

Arnone's request to invite Kerry was initially denied by the University Center of Student Programs and Events under the pretext that CUA had an unwritten policy that forbade political candidates from speaking during an election year.

However, CUA also has in place a speaker policy. It says the school can exercise discretion in allowing guest speakers who hold beliefs contrary to those of the Catholic Church. The rule has generally been used as a deterrent to inviting pro-abortion public figures.

Kerry has received a 100 percent approval rating from the National Abortion Rights Action League.

Arnone appealed the Programs and Events decision, arguing that the rule failed to adequately define an election year, and he emphasized Kerry's positions on issues such as health care and poverty, which are generally in line with the church's doctrines. The university was convinced and approved Kerry's invitation.

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Patrick Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, which works to strengthen Catholic identity at universities, told Cybercast News Service that allowing Kerry to speak was a fundamental violation of CUA's educational mission.

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The politics of Catholicism

Over the past several years, the Catholic University of America has frequently been at the center of political battles over Catholic doctrine, particularly regarding the abortion issue.

The controversy began in April 2004. Then, university President Fr. David O'Connell refused a petition to allow the NAACP to establish a CUA chapter because of their national organization's pro-abortion views, as well as the prior presence of two other minority-rights groups on campus.

O'Connell's decision kindled accusations of bigotry and intolerance from the NAACP. After a meeting with concerned students, he reversed his decision.

That summer, he sent letters to CUA's College Republicans and College Democrats, advising them to exercise caution when inviting political speakers to the school. He also warned them that speakers whose values were /ldblquote contrary to fundamental Catholic moral principles and teachings" could be uninvited.

In a letter to CUA's administrative council and academic deans, O'Connell was more explicit.

"I send this to you now, before the semester begins, so that you know I cannot approve pro-abortion/pro-choice speakers on campus," he wrote. "This is not part of any vast right-wing conspiracy or an assault on academic freedom. It is simply what we, as a Catholic institution, are obliged to follow as an expression of our Catholic identity and mission."

The speaker policy complied with a directive from U.S. bishops drafted earlier that summer. It forbade Catholic institutions from giving "awards ... or platforms" to those "who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles."

In September 2004, a lecture by actor and director Stanley Tucci was cancelled by O'Connell, who cited Tucci's vocal pro-abortion views. Tucci had been invited to speak by CUA's media studies department.

That same month, about 70 members of the CUA faculty held an assembly in opposition to the speaker policy. They produced a statement arguing that total adherence to all facets of Catholic doctrine was extremely rare in public life and that rejecting public figures because of their pro-abortion views was a violation of academic freedom.

In 2005, the College Democrats were allowed to host pro-abortion former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, on the basis that McAuliffe was an alumnus of the school. The former Clinton fundraiser gave a scathing speech, attacking President Bush's policies and accusing him of doing drugs in Alabama during his youth.

The next year, the College Democrats went further, sponsoring speeches by both Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.). Kaptur and Landrieu have received 85 percent and 65 percent approval ratings respectively from the National Abortion Rights Action League.

Reilly said that the recent relaxation of the speaker policy was a result of O'Connell feeling pressure from his faculty, adding that if O'Connell supported Kerry's invitation, he had "completely reversed his position on things."

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