The president of Gonzaga University in Spokane is defending the choice of Archbishop Desmond Tutu as the school’s commencement speaker next month. Some alumni say Tutu’s positions on social issues makes him an inappropriate choice for the Catholic school.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu has expressed support for abortion rights, contraception, same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay clergy. Next month, he’s slated to receive an honorary law degree at Gonzaga’s graduation ceremony.
That struck some Gonzaga alumni, including Pat Kirby, as the wrong message for a Catholic school to send.
“We think he’d make an excellent speaker on campus at a symposium or a debate," Kirby says. "But should we honor somebody who has advocated moral positions that are diametrically opposed to the teachings of the Catholic church?”
The Spokane lawyer drafted an online petition that has more than 700 signatures. Meanwhile, several counter-petitions supporting Tutu have garnered thousands of signatures.
Now, in a letter to Gonzaga students, university president Thayne McCulloh said the school was “privileged” to host the Nobel Laureate who worked to overturn Apartheid in South Africa.
On the Web:
“Protest Pro-Abortion Commencement Speaker” Petition
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/gonzaga-scandal-protest-pro-abortion-commencement-spe.html
Gonzaga University President’s Message on Tutu
http://www.gonzaga.edu/About/mcculloh/messages/2011/message_040912.asp
Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
