Bishop Martino targets Misericordia University Diversity Institute

Bishop Joseph F. Martino is calling on Misericordia University to “seriously consider discontinuing its Diversity Institute,” which hosted a gay-rights speaker earlier this month.

The bishop has publicly criticized the appearance of Keith Boykin, a best-selling author, television commentator and founder of the National Black Justice Coalition. Now Bishop Martino wants to ensure other speakers like Mr. Boykin do not receive a platform at Misericordia again.

The Diversity Institute, which has a primary goal of working with community members to promote multicultural understanding and the elimination of all forms of discrimination, invited Mr. Boykin to speak at two functions on Feb. 17 as part of Black History Month and in conjunction with the group’s annual dinner.

In a statement released by the Diocese of Scranton on Tuesday, the bishop conveyed that students should learn respect for all races and cultures, but viewpoints in opposition to Catholic teaching should not be presented “under the guise of ‘diversity.’ ”

“Doing so within a formal structure sanctioned by the institution gives the impression that these viewpoints are acceptable, or that all morality is relative,” the statement read.

The bishop is “asking Misericordia to seriously consider discontinuing its Diversity Institute” and also wants the school to prove its efforts in teaching Catholic morality regarding sexuality and homosexuality — including naming courses, content and catalog numbers.

“Students attending a Catholic institution should have a clear understanding that while all persons should be treated with dignity, homosexual activity is not condoned by the Church and should never be construed as acceptable behavior,” the release stated.

In a statement released by Misericordia on Tuesday afternoon, the university said it has “been committed deeply to its Catholic mission and the teachings of the Catholic Church for 85 years” and that it “welcomes the opportunity to discuss these matters with the bishop and his delegates at their convenience.” No further public comment was made.

Misericordia, located in Dallas, is a Catholic-affiliated school founded in 1924 by the Religious Sisters of Mercy. It is funded independently and not run by the diocese.

Earlier this month, after the bishop expressed “absolute disapproval” for the university hosting Mr. Boykin, Misericordia released a statement that conveyed it was “committed deeply to its Catholic mission” but as an academic institution, ideas and positions are explored critically and freely.

Other local Catholic institutions, including King’s College and the University of Scranton, have offices that focus on multiculturalism and diversity.

King’s College has no direct policy in regards to bringing in people to speak about sexuality or homosexuality, said Delight B. Yokley, director of the Office of College Diversity.

“We bring speakers in that come from a wide and diverse background,” she said.

At King’s, students are exposed to different viewpoints, said spokesman John McAndrew.

“It’s up to each individual and each member of the campus community to decide if that’s something they want to attend or something they want to expose themselves to,” he said.

>> “It’s up to each individual and each member of the campus community to decide if that’s something they want to attend or something they want to expose themselves to,” he said. <<

They might have thought they were making such a choice by going to a Catholic college. At the very least, the university should make abundantly clear that the presenters are contradicting the Catholic faith.

And I don’t mean, “contradicting the church’s teaching.” That sounds to young ears like the teaching of the current “administration” in Rome. They need to make clear that if you believe this stuff and act on it, you are outside the graces of the church, and your soul is in grave jeopardy of going to Hell.

By tolerating these presentations, they implicitly state that you can believe in them and still be saved, because they create the impression that they are safe.

Seriously.

If the university hosted a “pet the AIDS-infected monkey” event, people would believe either (A) that the monkey wasn’t really infected with AIDS and if they attended that they’d find out what the gimmick was, or (B) that the university was out of its mind.

If someone actually believes in Catholic doctrine, then they also believe that such an event places a mortal soul in danger of eternal death. Obviously, the college administration doesn’t believe Catholic doctrine, and it’s up to the bishop to educate everyone involved. If a university played as recklessly with physical lives as it does with souls, perhaps the diveristy fair could sponsor these events:

* Learn compassion for heroine junkies! Attend “poke yourself with random syringes” Night at the student center.

* Is crack really dangerous? Party with the crackheads at 11 PM this Saturday and find out!!!

* Discover the thrills of rain forest! Come to “Pet the AIDS-Infected Monkey Night”

* High voltage: exciting or deadly? Join the IEEE honor society for “Lick that socket!”

* RUSSIAN ROULETTE NIGHT!!!

Actually, “mercy” comes from the Latin word, “merces.” “Miserie,” in Latin, means in “wretched” in the sense of “deplorable state of distress or misfortune.” In the sense of “misericordia,” our misfortune is empathicly shared, hence it’s translated as “compassionate” (especially since “wretched” has picked up horribly bad secondary connotations).

But mostly, I was just relating the student body’s sarcastic nickname for the college.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.