Catholic Georgetown Students Vote to Fund Abortion Rights Panel

LifeSiteNews.com -- Your Life, Family, and Culture Outpost ^ | March 23, 2010

[topher]

Tuesday March 23, 2010

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Catholic Georgetown Students Vote to Fund Abortion Rights Panel

March 23, 2010 (CNews) – In early March, the Student Activities Commission (SAC) of Georgetown University, a Jesuit, Catholic university, voted in favor of funding an abortion “rights” panel on campus, according to The Hoya. Earlier the university partially funded "Sex Positive Week" and held performances of "The Vagina Monologues."

“While Catholics the world over are engaged in penance, prayer and alms giving during this Lenten season, students at America's oldest Catholic university have participated in a perverse series of events that vividly reminds us why our culture is in such trouble,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society, a Catholic education watchdog organization. 

The Hoya article said the pro-abortion event would feature three male panelists in favor of abortion “rights” speaking on the role of men in the pro-abortion movement.  It would be sponsored by a new coalition recently formed by United Feminists and H*yas for Choice called “Plan A: Hoyas for Reproductive Justice.”

The Plan A event was initially denied a request for University support in a Feb. 24 letter from Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olsen.  He wrote: “Through its speech and expression of policy, the university provides students the opportunity to participate in a dialogue on a wide range of issues.”  He continued, “As a Catholic and Jesuit institution, however, Georgetown cannot support organizations whose stated purpose conflicts with Catholic moral teaching.”

According to The Hoya, since SAC voted in early March to allocate $175 for the Plan A event to United Feminists, which is university funded, there has been no official University statement in response.

Plan A’s group website reads, “Plan A: Hoyas for Reproductive Justice is a coalition of students dedicated to changing the way that Georgetown University approaches issues of reproductive justice and choice.”

According to the blog of the Georgetown Voice, Plan A started its events on March 21 with the panel discussion, which was the first event in Georgetown history to not include the pro-life argument in an open discussion of abortion.  Members of the panel included representatives of the National Abortion Federation, Choice USA and GU Men Creating Change.  They “spoke about the importance of male involvement in the pro-choice movement, why male involvement is especially important to the pro-choice movement now, and how Georgetown students can lobby the school to fund more similar events.”

A member of Plan A reportedly said that Sunday’s panel discussion was the only event funded by Georgetown University in the overall Choice Week which is now taking place, also according to the Georgetown Voice blog.

The pro-abortion panel discussion was not the first time this semester that Georgetown students have organized activities that directly undermine fundamental Catholic values or teachings.  In early February, the SAC voted to approve funding for parts of Sex Positive Week.  Among the events this year that received funding and/or approval were “Virginity and Losing It,” “Disability and Sexuality,” and “God and the Erotic.”

The Cardinal Newman Society reported in its March 2010 Campus Notes newsletter that Georgetown University was among the Catholic colleges and universities that were listed as holding a production of the play The Vagina Monologues.  The play favorably describes lesbian activity, group masturbation and, in the word of the Cardinal Newman Society, "the reduction of sexuality to selfish pleasure."  Performances at Catholic colleges and universities are down to 14 in 2010 from 32 in 2003.

According to the website of V-Day, the sponsor organization for the Monologues, performances for the Spring 2010 semester were also scheduled at the following institutions which claim a Catholic identity: Barry University, College of the Holy Cross, College of Saint Benedict, College of Saint Rose, DePaul University, Fordham University, John Carroll University, Loyola University of Chicago, Regis College, Saint Mary’s College of Cal., Seattle University, and the University of San Francisco. In addition, a student newspaper at Boston College reported that the play was hosted on that campus.

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10032306.html

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[RegulatorCountry]

What heretics? You think the Knights Templar were heretics? They were charged with that by a cruel and greedy French King, who owed them lots of money and coveted their assets. The Pope found them to be innocent, but the King murdered their leaders before that decision was made public.

It wasn't all Phillip's doing, and besides, how are you separating the church from the monarchy in that era? There was no separation of church and state. Pope Clement was right there, seated in Avignon.

Confessions obtained under thread of death and torture by Inquisitors, was used by Clement to suppress the order of the Templars in 1312.

Are you not familiar with Clement's papal bull Vox in Excelso, which actually suppressed the order, and Ad Providam, which seized and distributed the assets of the Knights Templar?

[Lorica]

So they were all knights templar?

[hellbender]

There is no doubt that the Pope did not come down firmly in defense of the Templars. However, recent discoveries in the Vatican records show that the Pope found the Templars innocent of the charges of heresy. The Templars were a celibate monastic order, sworn to voluntary poverty, but also dedicated to military prowess. There aren’t many Christians today with that kind of dedication.

[Northern Yankee]

This leaves me utterly speechless... but then this is the same Georgetown that let obama cover up the images of Christ when he spoke there last year.

Why should I not be surprised?!

[bronxville]

I hear you. My dtr went to a state college. I didn’t know about good Catholic Colleges at that time or I would have sent her to one of those topher mentioned. I’m glad we have forums such as this one to learn what’s really going on...

[Campion]

There was no separation of church and state. Pope Clement was right there, seated in Avignon.

And totally beholden to Philip for everything. He wasn't a free agent.

[RegulatorCountry]

Was Clement responsible for Vox in Excelso and Ad Providam, or not?

Information exonerating the Templars has been held in the Vatican archives, for 700 years. It wasn't lost, it was held in secrecy.

And, to what purpose? Secrecy seems to have been creating problems for the Vatican, regarding controversial matters within the hierarchy, for a very long time. It's certainly not a recent development.

[RegulatorCountry]

Oh, there may have been a bit of quid pro quo. Phillip hated Clement’s predecessor. Clement, formerly Bertrand de Got, was friendly with that predecessor, Boniface. But, he wanted to be Pope.

Phillip killed Boniface and Clement became Pope. In Avignon. With Clement and Phillip working quite closely together. The pair was quite fond of branding people heretic for personal gain. Clement even began proceedings to have Boniface branded a heretic posthumously, at one point.

Pope Clement was very corrupt, wouldn’t you say?

[hellbender]

You've lost me there, because I am not familiar with those documents. However, I do know that the French King had earlier persecuted the Jewish bankers and the Italian merchants for the same reason he attacked the Templars: they had money which he wanted. He was a central-govt. statist who wanted to extinguish all centers of power outside of the crown.

I continue to admire the Templars, because they were founded by men who were willing to give up worldly wealth and pleasure in order to serve Christ and his disciples.

[little jeremiah]

Moral Absolutes Ping!

Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.

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[ Add keyword moral absolutes to flag FR articles to this ping list ]

[RegulatorCountry]

I continue to admire the Templars, because they were founded by men who were willing to give up worldly wealth and pleasure in order to serve Christ and his disciple

That, they were.

[terycarl]

My number two son is a graduate of Notre Dame....that having been said, he is a staunch conservative because of my influence....I was able to counter every ultra liberal piece of nonsense that he got through th school.....He is a great Kid, makes a lot of moneey, and is VERY conservative....thank God!!!!!!!

[Victoria Delsoul]

There are leftists everywhere unfortunately.

[RegulatorCountry]

Good for him, and good for you. Notre Dame was once a fine school. No doubt a degree from ND still carries some amount of cachet, so he’ll continue to benefit, despite what that once-august institution has become.

[huldah1776]

“they had money which he wanted.”

Sounds familiar.

[xsmommy]

My daughter attends the University of Dallas, an authentically Catholic university. There are a few out there, if you look around. She’s a junior and loves it there. Monday, she said her politics professor opened the class up to a discussion of the passage of the healthcare bill [the class is on Aristotle, so it was a major off topic discussion]. She attended Catholic schools all her life, but it’s truly at UD that she feels surrounded by like minded conservatives, professors and students. She felt that the off topic discussion of healthcare on Monday, validated her choice of UD for college.

[xsmommy]

UD is indeed quite authentically Catholic.

[trisham]

Bump!

[Albion Wilde]

..." the pro-abortion event would feature three male panelists in favor of abortion “rights” speaking on the role of men in the pro-abortion movement.

The role of men in pro-abortion is believing they have a "right" to sex without responsibility for the women they copulate with, or for their children who result from having sex without responsibility.

[Albion Wilde]

2nd Timothy, Chapter 3:

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their's also was.

10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.