Posted on 05/18/2012 7:22:40 AM PDT by marshmallow
Georgetown University alumni, students and others are preparing a canon law suit to be filed with the Archdiocese of Washington and the Vatican, seeking remedies “up to and including the possible removal or suspension of top-ranked Georgetown’s right to call itself Catholic or Jesuit in its fundraising and representations to applicants.”
The effort is being led by the distinguished Georgetown alumnus William Peter Blatty, who won an Academy Award for his screenplay and book The Exorcist and has been honored by Georgetown with its John Carroll Medal for alumni achievement.
Blatty is urging Georgetown alumni, students, parents, faculty and anyone associated with Georgetown to join the lawsuit at www.gupetition.org. The website includes an inspiring letter by Blatty and a description of Georgetown’s historical ties to the Jesuits, the Washington Archdiocese and the Vatican.
Blatty has asked The Cardinal Newman Society to advise the effort, share documentation on Georgetown scandals, and provide administrative support. CNS President Patrick J. Reilly told Georgetown’s campus newspaper The Hoya:
For 19 years, The Cardinal Newman Society has documented numerous concerns at Georgetown that significantly compromise the university’s Catholic identity. We’re thrilled that the distinguished alumnus William Peter Blatty has invited us to assist him and others in their efforts to defend Georgetown’s Catholic mission from those who would undermine or abandon it. Such intervention is necessary only because Georgetown’s leadership has repeatedly demonstrated its unwillingness to uphold Georgetown’s obligations under the U.S. bishops’ guidelines, Ex corde Ecclesiae and Canon Law.
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.cardinalnewmansociety.org ...
I’m friends with Blatty’s son. He once told me that his pop got his books done by writing just one page (at least) per day. Made sense!
Bravo!
I didn’t know he was an alumnus.
Have the Newman Society request that it be allowed to open a chapter on the Hoya campus. Since the Newman Society has long been a presence for Catholic students on public and non Catholic campuses it deserves a place at Georgetown.
As a lifelong Nikon User, I appreciate his desire to sue Canon.
Is Georgetown University still Catholic?
That’s an answer for the Church to decide. And a canon law suit to be filed by Georgetown alumni will seek an answer.
Today the Cardinal Newman Society announced that we are assisting Georgetown alumni, students and others who are busily preparing a canon law suit to be filed with the Archdiocese of Washington and the Vatican.
You’ll be hearing more about this in the weeks and months ahead, including opportunities to join the law suit in support of authentic Catholic identity.
And the Vatican too?
[Canon guy-mostly-since 1967]
Being a Georgetown alumnus, this is long overdue. From my perspective the Jesuits have just stood by and allowed this to happen or worse they wanted it to happen.
Leading the canon law effort is the distinguished alumnus William Peter Blatty, an Academy Award winner who authored The Exorcist.
“For 21 years now, Georgetown University has refused to comply with Ex corde Ecclesiae... [a]nd, it seems as if every month GU gives another scandal to the faithful!” Blatty wrote, announcing his plans.
“The most recent is Georgetown’s obtuse invitation to Secretary Sebelius to be a commencement speaker.”
Today Georgetown will undermine the Bishops and all faithful Catholics by honoring “pro-choice” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, architect of the HHS contraceptive mandate, as a commencement-day speaker.
They are doing so, despite more than 26,000 signers to our open letter at GeorgetownScandal.com... and despite Cardinal Wuerl’s public opposition!
And if you’re affiliated with Georgetown in any way — graduate, student, parent employee, etc. — please be sure to visit www.gupetition.org and join Mr. Blatty’s canon law suit.
I watched the Exorcist a couple of months ago, I laughed most of the time. The movie has been the subject of so many parodies that it is now comical to me. However, it peaked my interest in the, supposedly true, story on which the book and movie was based....now that is scary! Apparently so many “true” stories of possession begin with the use of ouija boards, or some other medium to contact the dead. And once you have invited an evil spirit in, intended or not, they do not want to leave and literally raise hell.
There’s a Jesuit run university in my city who is losing, if not already lost, its Catholic identity IMO. Sorry to say, I think the Jesuits have lost their way.
I remember trying to read the book back in 1972. I would ride the bus home from work, and the bus was pretty crowded as I was reading the part of the book where Regan’s bed is shaking. I got so scared that I had to stop reading. When I got off the bus, it was still daylight and I had to walk a block from the busstop to my house. I practically ran because I thought the devil was in back of me. When it was time to go to bed, I couldn’t sleep because I was afraid my bed would start shaking. I wasn’t a young child either. I was 24 years old. I wouldn’t allow the movie into my house for years.
But now it doesn’t do a thing for me. With all the horror movies that have come out since then that have been gorier and more demonic, The Exorcist looks tame in comparison. I, too, think it’s funny when I watch it. But it really took a toll on my nerves for a few years.
Yes, my alma matter, Marquette, is absolutely lost. No way I’d ever send my kid to soak up their version of Catholicism. Forget it.
Reading the book can be scarier than watching the movie. After watching the Exorcist I did a lot of research on possession. I did not like what I found. God help us!
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