Posted on 09/12/2006 4:23:38 PM PDT by wagglebee
MANASSAS, VA, September 12, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Recent sex-related scandals at Catholic colleges and universities—including revelations that a former Gonzaga University president sexually abused teenage boys and women’s lacrosse players at two Catholic institutions hired male strippers as part of their freshman initiation rituals—should come as no surprise to observers of Catholic higher education in recent decades.
“Catholic college educators once took seriously their responsibility to help young adults learn to be responsible, caring, moral people both in and out of the classroom—first by modeling appropriate behavior themselves,” said Patrick Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS), a national organization to renew and strengthen Catholic identity in Catholic higher education. “But today on too many Catholic campuses, students have little guidance rooted in Catholic moral teaching. Instead of ‘in loco parentis,’ the new theme is ‘livin’ la vida loca.’”
On Friday, Oregon’s Province of the Society of Jesus disclosed previously hidden claims of sex abuse—including two court settlements in the past year—by former Gonzaga University president Rev. John Leary, S.J., who died in 1993. Leary allegedly abused as many as 12 teenage boys, and he remained president of the Catholic university in Spokane, Washington, from 1961 to 1969 despite allegations that first surfaced in 1966. After Spokane police reportedly pressured Leary to leave town, he resigned his post citing health reasons, then was reassigned to a Jesuit high school in Boston and other posts in Massachusetts, Utah, Nevada and California.
The university has never disclosed the allegations or publicly encouraged students to come forward with complaints about Leary’s activity; instead, Gonzaga named a scholarship for its late president. Meanwhile, homosexual-themed activities are on the rise at Gonzaga despite the Church’s clear teaching against homosexual activity and Gonzaga president Rev. Robert Spitzer’s tough stance against pro-abortion lectures and activities.
The disclosure of sex abuse and its cover-up are especially relevant to the annual CNS campaign to end Catholic campus productions of “The Vagina Monologues,” a vulgar play that in one scene glorifies the sexual abuse of a teenage girl by a lesbian woman, describing it as the victim’s “salvation” which raised her “into a kind of heaven.” Gonzaga has not allowed the play on campus since 2002, yet continued to sponsor undergraduate and law-student clubs which presented the play off campus and sold tickets to students.
“We have continually opposed the ‘Monologues’ as a shameful insult to the victims of sexual abuse by priests, especially when the play is hosted by Catholic institutions,” Reilly said. “Can college officials continue to allow this, when even Catholic higher education is tainted by the abuse scandals?”
Yesterday the New York Post reported that photos of women’s lacrosse players from Manhattan College partying with a male stripper had been posted to the Internet, causing the college the cancel the team’s fall season and impose community service hours on the offending students. The photos of a freshman initiation ritual show one woman “performing a lap dance on what appears to be a young man” and another “grinding with the male stripper,” according to the Post. Manhattan College is a Catholic school in Riverdale, New York, founded by the Christian Brothers.
Just last month, the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., took less stringent action against its women’s lacrosse team for a similar event featuring a male stripper last spring. The university forfeited three games from last season and placed the team on probation for the 2006-2007 school year.
Since 1993, CNS has repeatedly complained about Catholic campus scandals including dissident theologians, faculty engaged in pro-abortion and pro-contraception advocacy, pro-abortion and homosexual student clubs, drag shows, Notre Dame’s queer film festival, “queer studies” courses, condom distribution, lectures by pro-abortion leaders, rampant sexual activity in campus residence halls, and “sex columns” in campus newspapers.
Yesterday's "issue of Fairfield University’s campus newspaper features a column with a photo of condoms and the message, ‘Don’t be a fool, wrap your (or his) tool,’” Reilly said. “If this is faithful Catholic education, the Pope must be Dr. Ruth.”
For more information on CNS, see http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org
The Vatican should prohibit these cesspools from identifying themselves as Catholic.
Catholic Ping.
Education Ping.
Yeah, because this stuff NEVER happens at non-religious universities.
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Funny - I don't see any of these reports coming from genuinely Catholic colleges and universities ... only from "Catholic" ones (mostly Jesuit).
Gosh, you think gay men put the moves on teenage boys, maybe?
That's why YOU need to keep having more good Catholic children!
Erg. Talk to me when I've had a full night's sleep for the first time in three years! (Won't be tonight ...)
With anti-Catholic secret societies virtually running Catholic colleges and universities now - and silence from bishops and Catholic leaders in the know on this - what do you expect? More liberal jerks from Harvard and Yale and modernist homosexuals aren't exactly going to solve the problems.
Chortle!
Maybe you should eat a Snicker's or something!
I'm having a very cheap Australian red wine. $3.64 a bottle at the Super Wal-mart, and it's amazing, easily worth $6.99.
Oh, here are 14 people claiming that Vlad's hungry again!
Well, at least it's in a bottle and not a box!
If you look at Fairfield University's website, it says it's "Jesuit ... Personal ... Powerful".
The word "Catholic" appears nowhere.
I wouldn't exactly classify that as a sex scandal!
The sad thing is that in my parents' time, the Jesuit schools and colleges they went to were extremely conservative even by traditional Catholic standards.
If there was too much available, I'd have too much ... we're in a stressful phase. I think Vlad will get four new teeth in the next week.
Really . Although I am not Catholic, I understand how those who are must feel. This happens everywhere and it seems this particular faith is being singled out for scorn a lot lately in the media.
I don't think of the early '60s as the meltdown era in American Catholic higher education. If anything, this example shows that the sex crisis in the Catholic Church in America was not entirely a product of the laxity which followed in the wake of Vatican II.
Isn't he a little young for a full set of teeth.
Maybe Katie Couric could interview Richard McBrien, with some other goofy pre-selected liberal Catholic celebrities, and they could figure out a solution.
Notre Dame did finally "discern" the evolving hermeneutical meaning of the Spirit of Vatican II. Turns out it's a bunch of lesbians in a room yelling lines from The Vagina Monologues. Gee, go figure...
The son of a dear friend of mine is a priest and instructor at Gonzaga...I hope to God that if he ever has gotten involved with something he shouldn't have, it doesn't come out until she's passed on...she is such a dear person...and that if he has, he does the right thing about it.
7 months old. That's young for ANY teeth, in our family, but he's chewing like crazy, and very grumpy.
It's interesting that the article equates homosexual abuse of minors (in the 1960's) with girls hiring male strippers in 2005, or whenever. Yes, both are sins against chastity, but aside from that, there's not much in common.
Been meaning to read that one.
What is wrong with wine in a box? Of course there is very little right with it...
You can drink it until you pass out. A standard-size bottle gets empty.
It gives some background on the ideological mentality behind the destruction of Catholic higher education in the U.S., although not covering all essential points in as thorough detail and depth as would be required now. There are just very few real Catholics involved in leadership positions in Catholic higher education. Liberals from anti-Catholic secret societies, with a nod and a wink to the usual liberal pieties, are shown preferential treatment.
There's just no way that presidents of places like Notre Dame and Georgetown can say and do what they do and be real sincere believing faithful Catholics serving the needs of Catholic college students. They're following Lucifer's agenda now, are on his team, and know his handshake. When I was still professionally involved on campus, I swear, you could almost smell the sulfur and brimstone just being around some of these horrible people who have infiltrated Catholic institutions in the service of ungodly social engineering. Yes, folks, evil has a smell. You would have to be very spiritually jaded and insensitive not to feel the unpleasant vibes.
The good news is a lot of these smarmy liberals are pretty stupid and make outrageous mistakes. People catch on to their game. Bottom line: sin makes you stupid.
Uhhhh, ummmm, ahhhh, I'm not Catholic. I have, however, dated several Catholic women. They are much more....shall I say...wild....than my other protestant lady friends. Both of them were doctrinally versed, and could and would debate me about anything regarding our religious differences. After the debate though, I learned some new things. Catholic girl schools have always fascinated me and I discovered why.......I've had to do a lot of praying in my earlier days related to my romantic life. Catholic girls really revved up my prayer life so to speak.
-p
There is actually an official policy at a lot of places to downplay "Catholic" identity, emphasizing athletics, campus social life, careerism, secular academics, and PC culture. This is known as "the Georgetown model" (exact words) in the collegiate tradecraft of marketing, as it was explained to me once when I used to attend board meetings. With a few nods and winks included among the smug post-Catholic set in attendance.
A far cry from AMDG, for sure.
I was considered considered one of those wild and crazy Catholic girls, even after 12 years of homeschooling and attending and truly Catholic college.
Catholics get to have fun. We can go out dancing, drink alcohol,know a few tricks when it comes to video games and listen to a wide variety of rock music and even attend concerts. My husband's friends couldn't believe that he was dating a Catholic, and that she would go to bars, drink enough to be willing to do Kareoke while explaining why sex outside of marriage was wrong, why the movie "Dogma" is offensive and leaving early enough in order to get up for Mass in the morning.
Have we met?
I also have a friend who attended a Catholic school until he was in the 9th grade. Granted, it was Louisiana, but it appears I missed a lot going through puberty and my early teens as a protestant.......
Don't think we have met, but I bet we would have a great time together! Well, we would have.....I have a three year old and a one year old now. Now my idea of a good time curled up in bed with a good book, of which I will probably read three pages before I pass out......
You go for that 'top shelf' taste, eh???
:-).
I do the box-wine thing.
"Nothing but the worst for me", is my motto. :D
Life is too short to be picky!
LOL! Like that last line "Sin makes you stupid". I think it is more that they think themselves so smart that no one will notice.
And it shows.
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