COMMENTARY: Georgetown University Disgraces Itself by Its Invitation to HHS Secretary Sebelius

This week, it was revealed that Georgetown University -- America's oldest Catholic institution of higher learning -- selected Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), to be a speaker at one of its graduation ceremonies on May 18.

Sebelius is of the Roman Catholic faith, but is pro-abortion and the principal spokesperson for supporting the Obama administration's contraception mandate.

Consequently, a plethora of Catholics have been shocked that Georgetown chose Sebelius to be a graduation speaker. In fact, the Cardinal Newman Society has posted a petition -- which thousands of people have already signed -- at GeorgetownScandal.com, in an effort to protest this outrage.

We agree with the Cardinal Newman Society that Sebelius should not be a speaker at Georgetown. Although Sebelius claims to be a Catholic, one would never know it from her anti-Catholic actions and beliefs.

In 2008, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City told Sebelius -- who was governor of Kansas at that time -- to stop receiving the Eucharist until she publicly recants her position on abortion and makes a "worthy sacramental confession." Today -- four years later -- Sebelius has still not followed Archbishop Naumann's directive.

Hopefully, Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl will carry out the Cardinal Newman Society request that he send a letter to Georgetown President John DeGioia, urging him to immediately withdraw Sebelius' invitation to speak at the university.

The fact is that -- by inviting Sebelius to be a speaker -- Georgetown is conveying its arrogance, disrespect, and indifference toward Catholicism and toward America's Catholic bishops, all of whom have condemned the Health and Human Services contraception mandate.

While we believe that a university must be free to accept all viewpoints as it works to achieve its goal of enhancing learning and knowledge, we also believe that a Catholic university has an irrevocable  responsibility to support Catholic doctrine and the teachings of Christ.

Indeed, by inviting Sebelius to be a speaker this month, Georgetown University has disgraced itself by promoting anti-Catholic and anti-Christian beliefs. Needless to say, it will now take Georgetown many years to regain the respect it once had as a first-rate Jesuit institution of higher learning.