Cardinal's antigay comments upset faculty at Georgetown ("TOP CONTENDER TO SUCCEED POPE")

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution via Advocate.com ^ | Friday, May 23, 2003

[11th_VA]

Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria, widely considered a top contender to succeed Pope John Paul II, angered students and faculty at Georgetown University with an antigay remark he made during a commencement speech delivered May 17. A letter protesting his speech and signed by about 70 faculty members at the Jesuit university was delivered Wednesday to Jane McAuliffe, dean of the university's school of arts and sciences, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

McAuliffe, a specialist in Islamic studies, invited Arinze, who is president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, to speak on Christian-Muslim relations at the school's graduation ceremonies. Instead, the Nigerian prelate told the graduates that happiness is found not in the pursuit of material wealth or pleasures of the flesh but by fervently adhering to religious beliefs. Arinze then spoke of the importance of family to the Roman Catholic Church. "In many parts of the world, the family is under siege," Arinze reportedly said. "It is opposed by an antilife mentality as is seen in contraception, abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia. It is scorned and banalized by pornography, desecrated by fornication and adultery, mocked by homosexuality, sabotaged by irregular unions, and cut in two by divorce." Some students and at least one faculty member got up and left the ceremony following Arinze's comments.

[B Knotts]

McAuliffe, a specialist in Islamic studies

Too bad the Jesuits can't find a university president who is a specialist in Roman Catholic studies.

[B Knotts]

My mistake, she's just a dean. Nevertheless...my point stands.

[sneakers]

He didn't say anything wrong - he merely spoke the truth. Do those students and faculty think that the Church must bend and twist the truth to accomodate THEM? God bless Cardinal Arinze!

[Travis McGee]

Samshing icons and starving people is all the left is good for.

[Salvation]

Arinze bump!

[YoungKentuckyConservative]

Sad when a Cardinal can't talk about Catholic values at a Catholic University ...

And more depressing when that university is in America.

[AdA$tra]

Apart from anything else, a traditionalist black African Pope will drive the leftists insane.

Our associate Pastor right now is from Ghana. Several other priests in the area are from various parts of Africa. So far all that I have met are men of deep faith. I have heard anti-Catholic rhetoric from the liberal wing of the local African-American community. I say come to our church and listen to an African-African preach the word.

[AdA$tra]

Sad when a Cardinal can't talk about Catholic values at a Catholic University ...

Not so long ago I attended a graduation at (Jesuit) Rockhust College in Kansas City. It was more like a graduation Mass.

[AdA$tra]

Here is a great Newsmax^ article on this.

[eastsider]

Link to the text of Cardinal Arinze's commencement address.