Patrick Deneen, the founding director of the Tocqueville Forum on the Roots of American Democracy at Georgetown University, and several other faculty members drafted a letter to Georgetown's president, John DeGioia, asking him to rescind the Georgetown Public Policy Institute’s invitation to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Deneen supplied a copy of the letter to the Register and said that his group invited a “large number of faculty to join, including all faculty in Catholic studies and all signers of the letter to Congressman [Paul] Ryan, along with faculty whom we believed might be inclined to sign. A total of nine faculty elected to sign this letter.”
Ryan, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, spoke at Georgetown April 26. Nearly 90 Georgetown faculty members signed an open letter to the Wisconsin congressman, highly critical of his budget.
Deneen, in a letter inviting these signers to also sign his letter about Sebelius, told his colleagues that they “publicly stated your support for the tradition of Catholic social teaching and in that letter affirmed the public witness and wisdom of the Church’s bishops.”
Only one of Ryan letter signatories agreed to sign the letter to DeGioia, he told the Register.
The letter to DeGioia follows:
May 10, 2012
Dear President DeGioia:
The invitation to serve as a speaker during commencement exercises is one of the greatest honors that a University community can bestow upon an individual. Such invitations do much more than recognize the accomplishments of honorees; they constitute a statement by our community of the esteem in which we hold their words and actions. Our community presents such speakers as models to our graduates at the culmination of their years of study at Georgetown. As you put it so well: “Our commencement speakers are exceptional individuals ... who will provide inspiration for our students as they envision more clearly the impact they can make in the world.”
For this reason, we, the undersigned members of the Georgetown University academic community, wish to state our belief that it was a grave and serious mistake — indeed, a scandalous one — for Georgetown to invite Health and Human Services Department Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to serve as speaker before the 2012 graduating class of the Georgetown Public
Policy Institute. Secretary Sebelius’s role in crafting and advancing the HHS mandate that requires religious institutions to offer insurance coverage that would provide abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization and contraceptives, makes her a profoundly objectionable choice. To afford
Secretary Sebelius the singular honor that is accorded in this invitation, especially in the context of the ongoing efforts of the Catholic bishops and many Catholic faithful, joined by eminent leaders of the Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim communities — effectively implies endorsement by
Georgetown of the grave and dangerous assault upon religious liberty that the mandate constitutes. In truth, it is difficult to believe that the according of this honor to Secretary
Sebelius was motivated by anything other than a desire to send a message of endorsement.
The Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty of the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops has issued a powerful statement defending the primacy of religious freedom as “the first liberty,” that liberty that makes possible all others. It notes with special attention the threat that is posed to this “first liberty” by the HHS mandate as proposed, and even as amended, by Secretary
Sebelius. As the Bishops write in their report entitled “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty”
(http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/our-first-most-cherished-liberty.cfm) —indeed, invoking the example of Georgetown’s founder, Bishop John Carroll, S.J. — the robust protection of religious liberty “is our American heritage, our most cherished freedom. If we are not free in our conscience and our practice of religion, all other freedoms are fragile. If our obligations and duties to God are impeded, or even worse, contradicted by the government, then we can no longer claim to be a land of the free.” The USCCB states that “the mandate of the
Department of Health and Human Services has been met with our vigorous and united opposition.” Georgetown, the nation’s oldest Catholic university, should be joining the Church’s leaders in this opposition; its administration and faculty should certainly not be honoring the mandate’s leading architect.
Further, we note that the Catholic bishops of the United States addressed precisely the issue before us in their 2004 document, Catholics in Political Life. What they had to say could not be clearer:
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.
We prayerfully implore you to revisit the invitation to Secretary Sebelius. It would be a mistake to confuse the honorific and hortatory role of a commencement event speaker with the legitimate exchange of ideas in the daily life and activities of the university. We respectfully request that you withdraw this invitation to Secretary Sebelius.
Cc: Provost James O’Donnell
Cc: Dean Edward B. Montgomery, GPPI
Cc: Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archdiocese of Washington, DC
Cc: Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archdiocese of New York
Cc: Cardinal Francis George, Archdiocese of Chicago
Cc: Archbishop William E. Lori, Diocese of Baltimore
Sincerely,
Patrick J. Deneen
Associate Professor
Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Chair in Hellenic Studies
Founding Director, The Tocqueville Forum on the Roots of American Democracy
Department of Government
Kevin Doak
Professor and Nippon Foundation Endowed Chair
Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures
Stephen M. Fields, S.J.
Associate Professor, Historical/Philosophical Theology
Department of Theology
Edward J. Finn
Professor (Emeritus)
Department of Physics
Rev. Mark G. Henninger, S.J.
Professor
Martin Chair of Medieval Philosophy
Department of Philosophy
Mark C. Murphy
Professor
McDevitt Chair of Religious Philosophy
Department of Philosophy
John Pfordresher
Professor
Department of English
James V. Schall, S.J.
Professor
Department of Government
Wilfried Ver Eecke
Professor
Department of Philosophy
John Zmirak: We Are All Islamists Now
Edward Pentin: Images of Rome's 2013 March for Life
Comments
Post a Comment
Someone tell me: WHY BOTHER TO BE CATHOLIC? I can hold any view I want and be counted “Catholic,” as the derelicts at Georgetown (and Notre Dame, and others) have made very clear. And as the Bishops have repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly made very clear: There is absolutely no penalty—NONE, ZERO, ZIP, NADA!! Again, why be Catholic? Someone, please! Tell me!!
“Catholic” officials who are public in support of anti Catholic teachings cannot speak for the Catholic Church. Biden, Pelosi, Sebelius, Cuomo, Kennedy, and other ‘catholic’ academics, have misled faithful Catholics for decades. Why are the Catholic bishops not making public policy statements in support of what the Church teaches, and protecting the Church from these political wolves and anti-Catholic academics?
Academic hypocrisy ex corde ecclesiae.
Only 9, and only 1 from the entire Theology department? And of the 90 who signed an ad-hominem attack on Paul Ryan concerning a matter which is clearly a matter of prudential judgment, only 1 willing to sign as to a matter the Church teaches (and will always teach) is intrinsically evil? Georgetown has now been formally and finally unmasked as an un-Catholic den of vipers in that brazenly rejects Church teaching. This is KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, for goodness sake, a woman who vociferously advocates for abortion and has personally imposed an anti-Catholic secularist contraception mandate on all Catholic institutions in America! What a vile institution. And, it looks as if the Cardinal will remain silent. These are truly dark days.
First of all, let’s thank of all of those faithful faculty members who signed the letter. Secondly, let’s appeal to all alumni, and to all other donors to the university, and ask them to hit Georgetown where it hurts: the coffers. Stop all contributions to the University. That is the only way that Georgetown will stop this nonsense and start acting in the manner in which the founding Jesuits intended. Thirdly, the Catholic Church should start censuring Catholic Universities that blatantly flip off the USCCB and the Holy See. Lastly, the Order of Malta should kick DeGioia out of its fine organization. There should be consequences to his destructive decisions.
I am truly at a loss to understand the COMPLETE SILENCE from all our bishops about this invitation. They have drawn a line in the sand on the religious freedom issue; have loudly and uniformly staked out their defense of the Church, but are completely silent on this blatant slap in the face to all American Catholics on the very same issue by a supposedly Catholic university.
When I took my second son to Georgetown in his survey of potential collegesInoticed a shdow on the wall where a crucifixonce hung, and hoped he would not express interest. He did notFather Scallis a lovely rose, growing on a dung hill.
When we visited Georgetown with our oldest daughter during her college visit year in high school (she went to a private grammar school and boarded at St Paul’s in New Hampshire—-an episcopalian school), we were excited. I am a CUA alum and loved DC. My daughter was not interested in going to a Catholic institution, not opposed to it, just not looking for it. The opening presentation involved a video clip and presentation by a student who literally started by profiling the non Catholic demographic of the school. She then fell all over herself explaining in at least 5 different ways how the school shouldn’t be viewed as a Catholic school. My daughter walked out, looked at us and said, I don’t want to be at a school that runs away from who they are. I don’t care if I go to a school that’s Catholic, but I certainly won’t go to a school that doesn’t have the integrity to be what it is. That’s a 16 year old speaking. What Georgetown is doing and what it now represents is shameful.
I have at least a partial answer to the problems at America’s “Catholic” universities: the Bishops need to enforce the Mandatum publicly. Professors who refuse to take the oath of loyalty to the Church need to be fired. If the result is that Georgetown and other similar places close shop, so be it. They are doing a lot of damage the way things have been going. Good riddance.
To all who complain. It is time for a change. Not change of others, but change of you.
Will you let Jesus Christ change you?
You will say yes if you truly love Him and His Church.
If you don"t then keep being clashing cymbals.
I’m sorry but you have no other choice.
Blessings,
Greg
Disgruntled, you ask a very wise question. I remain a practicing Catholic because we are the successors to Christ Life, death and Resurrection and Pope Peter the Apostle, our first Pope. Pope Benedict XVI and the American CCB have greatly compromised their faithfulness to Christ’s Church and are leaders in name only to our Universal Church. They have become unfaithful to the Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross and Resurrection, the Holy Bible and the CCC. The Catholic Church, in an effort to become a vast financial and yes, political engine, has largely given away their prominence as the moral guardians of planet Earth since the corruption of Vatican II. Has Pope Benedict given even one strong statement against the evils of the HHS Mandate, the Judas Catholics, the evils of the pagan environmental movement or the mass genocides perpetrated in the name of Marxism and Communism ? He was almost remorseful that Marxism did not work out in Cuba. Is their any indication as Ted Kennedy [the father of abortion in America] was approaching death, that Pope Benedict urged him to repent and urgently seek Confession ? Could you imagine the impact of Ted Kennedy giving a massive Pro-Life speach before his death ? Many of the CCB, clergy and “religious” voted for this unvetted Planned Parenthood President. Should we be surprised that he lied to a church he wants rid of ? Are we surprised that there are eleven (11) Catholic Universities inviting outragious speakers to commencement this spring ? DePaul is the latest to swim in the cess pool. Should we be surprised that we have gay marriage [the gates of hell] on our door steps as the Catholic Church spent the last 40 years and 99% of the time telling us to be nice to homosexuals and 1% of the time stating as per the CCC that homosexual unions are “intrinsically disordered” ? I am still light headed after hearing Max Mutchnik refer to his husband today. Can you say Sodom and Gomorrah, boys and girls ? Pray diligently for God’s Mercy and a massive Catholic Resurgence. We gonna need it, big time. CHRISTI FIDELIS !! Publish the harsh truth or we are doomed !
As an alum BSFS 81 I have already voiced my concerns over this type of nonsense by my alma mater. I too am mystified by the silence of our bishops. As to the professors at Georgetown when I was there many were superb teachers but hopelessly left-wing. And I should know as I was a socialist at the time. Sadly however it is probably as much the faulty as something I noticed about the Jesuits over the decades… many like to practice something close to Liberation Theology and seek to build the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth. In other words they build an institution that glorifies humans and their supposed intellectual elitneness….Gnosticism! Are we not discussing the definition of heresy!
Why be Catholic? Because Jesus & the Eucharist are necessary for your salvation, that’s why. No other church has both. Without these, you’re no better off than the heretics. Your salvation is between you and God. You need not concern yourself about what the heretics say or do other than to pray for their conversion.
Is the letter open to signature by adjunct faculty?
Until Catholic schools, colleges and universities stop accepting government money, they will have to teach the government “religion”. Maybe there are enough Catholics who care to support a few independent Catholic institutions.
Why be Catholic? $$$ That’s why.
Close the University, destroy the buildings and sell the land for Condos. This school is a blight on the Catholic faith.
It’s clear Georgetown is no longer an institution that abides by Church teaching, with a handful of exceptions in the faculty. The Holy Spirit is calling the Church militant to rise up and stand for truth, but only a very few brave souls are responding. Meanwhile, militant secularism and atheism are on the move… “Be not afraid”, people!
How can the bishops honestly expect the laity to support their religious freedom efforts when they can’t keep their own house in order?
Satan’s succubus was invited to pontificate at Col. Klink University, the home of educated idiots and new age moon howling theologians… are there any Jesuits with common sense? Are there any Jesuits left who pray? Who are holy? Who have faith?
If you are so inclined, the Newmann Society has an online petition that you can sign, which is asking President DeGioia to rescind the invitation:
http://www.georgetownscandal.com/
There have been over 19,000 signatories so far.
@Bill
WOW! Good job, parents, raising that daughter!
What else could one expect? They are Jesuits. And academics. Let’s pray for their conversion. I hate to think of how they are influencing the minds and souls of their young students. If only they were all like Fr Mitch Pacwa, who is both Jesuit and orthodox.
To all my interlocutors concerned about my “WHY BE CATHOLIC?” post, above…. Thank you! Actually, I have every intent to remain as true to the Catholic Faith as I possibly can be, even if it kills me (martyrdom, that is, whether white or red). I am sure that many of you—readers of the Register—have already suffered many small “white martyrdoms” for our faith, as have I, when persecuted precisely on account of the Faith.
I think the point I am making is rephrased thusly: 1. Protestants or pagans of one sort or another look at the disarray in the Church and must wonder, “Well, why be Catholic? It doesn’t seem that they are any different! And their shepherds don’t seem to care enough to discipline offenders, or at the least, the more egregious public offenders!!” 2. Point # 1 leads straight into the issue of the legitimacy of the Catholic Church, in the eyes of non-Catholics, inasmuch as because Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail, it certainly looks, to non-Catholics, as though that is exactly what has been happening; scandal is scandal precisely because it causes disbelief in the validity of the Church, much moreso than any disbelief in the purported commitment of any individual believer; when there is public scandal, repeatedly not disciplined, then the very legitimacy of the visible Church is rightly questioned by outsiders, who believe—not without some sense of justification if they are leading moral lives—that the true “church” is “diffused” among all “true” believers who “know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior”; who needs the structure of a visible “church” that never teaches, never disciplines, never excommunicates? Again, in the eyes of Protestants, “WHY BE CATHOLIC?” 3. Especially at “Greg,” above: Matthew’s Gospel Chapter 18 vv. 15 - 17, refers to treating recalcitrant offenders as one would “gentiles,” or “heathen.” This is a clear reference to excommunication—so, I ask, where are the excommunications? Public offenses deserve public excommunications, and public repentance—this was something sorely lacking in Ted Kennedy, who at most should have been given a private Catholic funeral because he never repented publicly of the scandal of advocating for the legalized sanctioning of the killing of the modern era’s Holy Innocents (the unborn). I, for my part, agree wholeheartedly with you, Greg, about the need (ongoing) for my own ongoing repentance, confession, & penance; but it is not enough to remain silent when I see our “shepherds” doing nothing at all to fend off the wolves; and the Bishops ARE failing us in their duty as enumerated in Matthew 18.
Degioia seems to be closer to Pelosi, Sebilius and Obama and Biden than JESUS CHRIST. Imagine a catholic institution has to be told by Jews, Hindus and Muslims and protestants about its wrong path.
As an Indian Catholic I feel ashsmed of such University intellecual administrators who has pledged their intelligence to Obamas and Pelosis Why these gimmicks, let them say that the university is GAY or LESBIAN and not human. I feel they are simply proud and ignorant. God will never tolerate PRIDE
To answer David’s question, are there any Jesuits with common sense, holy, who pray? Amen brother there is; Fr. Mitch Pacwa, Theologian, author, connect the dots, color within the lines CATHOLIC PRIEST. He is also bi-ritual; and is a Marionite Rite priest. He is still connected to the Jesuits by giving some of his earnings and accountable to his Superior but says Mass in the Marionite Rite and Roman rite also. Fablous Biblical scholar, speaks at least five languages and is one awesome and faithful priest who teaches the faith in it’s fullnes. Can be found on Catholic Radio and the very faithful EWTN Catholic Television network. I thank God for good priest like Fr. Mitch.
Let’s confuse the Catholic Faithful even more. It is truly disgraceful!doing
I graduated from Georgetown in 1957. The Jesuits I knew then, with a few exceptions, were soldiers in the army of Christ, extremely patriotic and willing to fight for the United States. I have no idea what changed the Jesuits. Instead of Fathers Rock, Gallagher, Powers and Dulles the Jesuits have morphed into a left wing, anti-American, Anti-traditional Catholic mob. What happened.
Georgetown should no longer call itself a catholic University.
Post a Comment
By submitting this form, you give The National Catholic Register permission to publish this comment. Comments will be published at our discretion, and may be edited for clarity and length. For best formatting, please limit your response to one paragraph and don't hit "enter" to force line breaks.