Posted on 05/18/2005 9:33:07 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan
Md. cardinal to boycott Giuliani speech
5/18/2005, 11:11 p.m. ET
The Associated Press
BALTIMORE (AP) — Cardinal William Keeler will not attend a Jesuit university commencement because keynote speaker Rudolph Giuliani, a Catholic, supports abortion rights, an official said Wednesday.
Giuliani, the Republican former New York City mayor mentioned as a possible candidate for president in 2008, is expected to award some 1,600 degrees and certificates at Friday's commencement at Loyola College of Maryland.
He also is to receive an honorary degree.
Friday's graduating class entered the school one week before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, said Loyola spokesman Mark Kelly.
"The attacks had a huge effect on this class, many of whom are from New York," Kelly said late Wednesday. "The college selected Mayor Giuliani because of his courage and leadership after the attacks."
Kelly added Loyola does not agree with every position held by every speaker.
Keeler could not be reached for comment Wednesday night. His spokesman did not elaborate on the decision, but confirmed it was because of Giuliani's abortion stance.
The Cardinal Newman Society is planning protests, the group said in a statement.
The society is protesting speakers and honorees at 18 Catholic college and universities, saying the invitations violate the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops statement last year asserting "Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles."
Earlier this week, New York Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, also a Catholic, canceled his speech to graduates of St. Elizabeth's College of Nursing after learning a bishop opposed his appearance. Boehlert said he did not want to draw attention from the graduation ceremony.
A spokeswoman for Giuliani did not immediately return phone calls.
Hooray!
Can somebody tell me why the mayor is so revered for September 11,2001?
Is it only because he didn't start bawling? What did he actually do that day that makes people take him seriously as a Presidential candidate? I don't get it.
THIS is interesting!
I hear you. He is doing some sort of motivational lecture series, and they refer to him as "America's Mayor".
A little OT, did anyone hear about this new movie on Showtime w/ Ted Danson , Bryan Dennehey. It's about the catholic church and the whole molestation thing. They are claiming 100k kids were molested, that sounds exxagerated to me....and knowing hollywood as I do makes me have all the more skepticism towards it. I think its interesting how these leftists can try to use that against the church, when they themselves are proponents of it ie NAMBLA/ACLU.
Not only abortion but openly flaunting a girlfriend.
and a gun grabber too.
Yup! He was a great mayor (better than Bloomberg) but hardly the paragon of Catholic values. I wish the cardinal would have a sit down with Giuliani and ask him why he believes in murdering unborn babies.
It's not for anything he did on that day, but for what he did in the aftermath. He served as a good leader, held the city together and helped it rebuild. This is begrudgingly recognized even by people on the other side.
I don't think he's presidential material BUT he held this city together. If I lived in NYC, I would have voted for him again.
He was a tough and fair prosecutor. Before he was mayor, NYC was very unsafe and close to bankruptcy. After he left, NYC was clean and very safe. I think murders dropped from 1600 per year to about 400. After 9-11, he was clear and resolute that NYC would not only survive, but thrive and he has been right. If not for prostate cancer, he dared to take on Hillary in a very blue state. Finally, he is upfront and like GW Bush, you may or may not like where he stands, but at least you know what he stands for.
On abortion, he is pro choice, but he certainly is not adamant about pushing that issue as an agenda. While I doubt he would nominate a supreme court justice who was pro life. He would not hesitate to nominate a justice who might overturn R v. W.
Boycotting respected speakers because of their views on abortion laws who will not be speaking about abortion seems excessive. I think that approach will backfire.
Yes, but open and honest I would rather have, and that is Guiliani.
I guess but if he cherished his family, shouldn't have happened at all :(
He's a great guy, especially to New Yorkers. But tell that to the unborn Brooklyn baby who's being ripped apart. You can't have it both ways, Rudy.
I guess nobody could speak at Catholic universities in France, or for that matter, much of Catholic Europe, where mistresses are common and accepted. I once had a French client who said he would not trust a politician who did not have a mistress.
Well it's still adultery no matter what the French do in France.
Ya, and in Europe, the Church looks the other way. Some rules are of interest to the Church, and some are not. It seems to depend on the facts on the ground, often.
Especially Rudy Guiliani.
I've got an idea. Let's boycott all of George W. Bush's speeches because he had Guiliani give a keynote at his convention, and George allows for exceptions.
Would these churchmen boycott the President of the United States if he spoke at a Catholic University?
Spoken like a Catholic-sneering near-atheist.
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