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Catholic universities put speakers through vetting process |
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By Chaz Muth - Catholic News Service
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Wednesday, 13 May 2009 |
 Commencement season has arrived and the controversy over President Barack Obama’s scheduled address at the University of Notre Dame’s May 17 graduation ceremony has drawn a spotlight onto the end-of-the-year festivities at Catholic colleges nationwide.
Though officials at some U.S. Catholic colleges and universities have
said Obama would not have made it through their selection process to
receive an honorary degree or serve as commencement speaker, others
said he probably would.
All those interviewed by Catholic News Service said candidates
considered to deliver the commencement address at their college — or to
receive an honorary degree — must meet specific criteria.
“We do respect President Obama for the position he is in, and if he
would be so inclined to come here to discuss issues of the day, we
would love to have him here for an academic exercise,” said Rosalie
Mirenda, president of Neumann University, a Catholic institution in
Aston, Pa., that recently achieved university status. “But he probably
wouldn’t make it through the vetting process we have for selecting a
commencement speaker.”
Catholic uproar
Notre Dame has a long history of U.S. presidents delivering the
commencement address at their graduations, but none created the uproar
that Obama has inspired.
More than 50 U.S. bishops have blasted Notre Dame for inviting the
president to deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary
degree because he supports legal abortion.
Many cited “Catholics in Political Life,” a 2004 document of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, which states: “The Catholic community
and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of
our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards,
honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.”
Some Catholic groups have called for the invitation to be revoked,
while others have staged daily protests at the Catholic school’s
Indiana campus for weeks.
Holy Cross Father John I. Jenkins, Notre Dame’s president, has remained
firm that he will not rescind the invitation and university officials
expect graduates will enjoy a memorable commencement ceremony.
Those are the kinds of memories that Jesuit Father Charles H. Allen,
executive assistant to the president of Fairfield University in
Fairfield, Conn., said could potentially overshadow the achievements of
the graduates themselves.
That is why his college shies away from inviting politicians as commencement speakers.
“That time is for the students,” Father Allen said. “Having a controversial speaker just upsets the graduation.”
At Xavier University in Cincinnati, anyone can submit a nomination for
commencement speaker or honorary-degree recipient, but those
recommendations go through a series of hurdles before a selection is
finally agreed upon by the board of trustees, said Laurel Bauer, a
spokeswoman for the university.
“Generally, candidates should have attained local, regional, national
or international stature, which should show notable accomplishments in
any of the university’s academic disciplines, business, government,
law, medicine, public service or religion,” Bauer told CNS. “We do take
into account their stance on certain issues and consider the impact on
the university and any controversy that may arise.”
Differing views
Some Catholic universities shy away from speakers who have well-known
opinions that are contrary to church teachings, such as support for
legal abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, same-sex marriage, birth
control and the ordination of women.
Other Catholic institutions of higher education invite speakers who
support those controversial causes, and have drawn harsh criticism,
even sometimes from the local bishop.
Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans announced in April that he
would boycott the May 9 graduation ceremony at Xavier University of
Louisiana in New Orleans because political commentator Donna Brazile —
a supporter of legal abortion and contraceptive practices — will be the
commencement speaker and receive an honorary degree.
“I recognize that Ms. Brazile is a Catholic Louisiana native who has
worked effectively in service to the poor and African-Americans in
particular,” Archbishop Hughes said in a letter to Xavier’s president,
Norman C. Francis. “However, her public statements on the abortion
issue are not in keeping with Catholic moral teaching.
Using a single issue — like a position on abortion — as a litmus test
to be honored at a Catholic university is a troubling concept for Nancy
Dallavalle, an associate professor who chairs the religious studies
department at Fairfield University.
“Are we going to start asking everyone who comes to speak at our campus
what their position is on abortion?” Dallavalle asked. “If that’s the
case, should we start asking them a series of questions about all
aspects of Catholic teachings? If we start doing this, will anyone be
worthy to speak at our schools?”
The Jesuit-run University of San Francisco was recently criticized
after the school announced it would have Bishop Kevin Dowling of
Rustenburg, South Africa, who has criticized abstinence-only programs
and supports condom use by those infected with or at risk of
contracting HIV and AIDS, as its undergraduate commencement speaker.
“At its best, the Catholic ethic is one of involvement, not avoidance,”
said Gary McDonald, a spokesman for the University of San Francisco.
“The pope frequently welcomes and receives in audience those with whom
he profoundly disagrees,” McDonald told CNS. “We would do well to
follow the example of Jesus in his embracing all segments of society.”
Offering ideas from a broad spectrum of personalities is also an
important component when St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, N.J.,
invites speakers to address students at its graduation ceremony, said
Jamie Bredehoft, a spokeswoman for the college.
“We have many different audiences to consider, mostly students and
alumni,” Bredehoft said. “But, at the end of the day, our Jesuit
tradition of educating the whole person and exposing our students to
many different ideas and religious faiths will always be a big factor
when our president chooses a speaker.”
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