Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley -- the archbishop of the Boston Archdiocese -- said today (May 10, 2013) he will boycott Boston College's commencement on May 20 because the scheduled speaker, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, supports controversial abortion-rights legislation in his country, according to the Boston website. By tradition, the Boston archbishop delivers the final benediction at Boston College's commencement each year.
In a statement released this afternoon, O'Malley said the Catholic Bishops in the United States have urged Catholic institutions of higher learning not to honor government officials whose views on the issue are inconsistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
The Irish legislation that Kenny supports would permit abortions if there is a real and substantive threat to the mother's life, including from suicide.
"Since the university has not withdrawn the invitation and because the prime minister has not seen fit to decline, I shall not attend the graduation," O'Malley said in a statement. He added, "It is my ardent hope that Boston College will work to redress the confusion, disappointment and harm caused by not adhering to the Bishops' directives."
By having the pro-abortion Kenny as its graduation speaker, Boston College has, in effect, lost the respect it had as a Catholic institution of higher learning, and has produced an air of discord and anger among Catholics in the United States -- a discord that will take many years before it can possibly be healed.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment