It’s not a given that no one who has ever espoused a dissenting or heterodox point of view should never be allowed to speak anywhere on a Catholic campus. I can imagine al kinds of reasons and venues for such a person to be given a platform, as long as it was made clear that the school did not endorse the point of view and that a rebuttal was given to the erroneous views. And that the school is not seen as bestowing honors upon this person or excusing their erroneous views.
So when I hear that Boston College Law School is hosting a pro-abortion speaker I want to know the details. Unfortunately, the details do not fit the situations I described above. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
Boston College Law School invited Congressman Edward J. Markey, who openly supports abortion “rights”, to speak at its 2007 Law School commencement.
Stating his pleasure at announcing Markey’s acceptance of the engagement, the College Law Dean, John H. Garvey, lauded Markey as “one of the most distinguished graduates of Boston College Law School, whose career of public service reflects the very best values and traditions of the School.”
Then Garvey must not be referring to the Catholic values and traditions which supposedly underpin the Catholic school’s mission because Markey has voted in favor of or expressed an intention to vote in favor of unfettered abortion access, embryonic stem cell research, public funding of Planned Parenthood, and on and on.
Markey was among a group of 55 Catholic Democrat congressmen who attempted to claim that while they’re okay with legalized murder of unborn children, they’re really good Catholics because they feel bad about it.
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They are referring to “Jesuit Tradition” not Catholic Tradition. They are not the same
.
Dom, curious as to what you say about when a heretic can speak on campus….who is doing the rebuttal?
Did you know that it was just this year that BC Law got a pro-life club?
Rich, I know you’re joking, but let’s try to be positive and talk about REAL Jesuit Tradition. I have on my blog (click my name) post for today an e-mail from a while back that a Jesuit friend of mine forwarded to a group of us. The Ignatian way is a great way of living the Catholic tradition.
First, I’m speaking of an ideal situation here. Ideally, the rebuttal would be given by the professor, who would a devout and well-educated Catholic bringing the dissenter to campus to speak to his class for a very specific academic reason.
Dom, I understand that you are speaking of the ideal situation. Being at BC, my goal is to help re-create that ideal situation. Often, I like input on how to do so. I understand that until BC begins hiring to mission again and the professors here fall in love with Christ and His Church, little can be done; however, I want to know how this ideal would work. Here’s the problem:
most dissenters brought to campus are not brought by Catholic professors or professors at all but by student organizations funded through student government. For example (completely hypothetical), a pro-abortion member of the College Democrats might bring in the head of Planned Parenthood to talk on why abortion should stay legal and Republicans are wrong. No professor is present. Who gives the rebuttal?
No one does.
Such dissenters should not be brought to campus by groups whose own aims are intrinsically at odds with the Gospel.
Until the university reforms itself and regains a sense of its mission, including in its faculty, then such people should not have any platform at the school.
I know that no one does currenrly…let me rephrase. Ideally, who WOULD give it if it was a student group that brought the speaker? No professor brought the speaker…
Let <span style=“font-style: italic;”>me</span> rephrase for clarity: Student groups should not be hosting such speakers. Period.
Okay, thanks.