Boston College Health Plan Covers 'Family Planning' Services

New research by The Cardinal Newman Society has uncovered evidence that the student health insurance plan provided by Boston College, a Jesuit institution of Catholic higher education, includes coverage for "family planning" services such as birth control pills.

"Now that it has been uncovered that Boston College is providing unethical coverage to students, college officials should take immediate action to provide students with insurance options that conform to Catholic teachings," said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. "BC needs to send a strong message, especially after students voted in a referendum last year to petition the college to make contraceptives available on campus."

Contraception and birth control services are explicitly covered under the student health plan, Blue Care Elect Preferred (PPO), which is an optional plan for students provided by Boston College. Although elective abortion is not explicitly stated in the policy, Koster Insurance Agency, Inc., Boston College's insurance agent, could not rule out the possibility that abortions are covered by the policy, according to an article in the Boston College Observer reporting on the Cardinal Newman Society's research.

Although several states--including most recently the State of Wisconsin--require employers and sometimes even Catholic institutions to provide contraceptive coverage in employee health plans, such laws do not mandate student coverage.

The revelations at Boston College stand in stark contrast to the situation at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina, which is engaged in religious liberty battle with the U.S. Equal Opportunities Commission because the college refuses to cover contraception in its faculty health care plan.

BC Law School in Disarray Over Prof's Defense of Marriage

(9/24/09) Law dean seems to welcome faculty opposition to Catholic teaching on gay "marriage" and abortion.

On September 15, 2009, StandForMarriageMaine.com released a television ad which featured Scott Fitzgibbon, a professor at Boston College Law School, arguing in defense of marriage between one man and one woman. He encouraged Maine voters to vote "yes" on an upcoming ballot referendum which aims to overturn state legislation which legalized homosexual "marriage" last May.

Complaints from fellow faculty members at Boston College soon began piling up. Merely one day after the ad aired, Boston College Law Dean John Garvey issued a letter to the BC law community, writing, "Several of you have contacted my office to express your anger at Scott's actions, and it is hard for me to see any of our students, faculty, or staff offended or hurt by the words of others."

Rather than praising Fitzgibbon's public defense of a Catholic teaching, Dean Garvey wrote that Fitzgibbon's "public statements represent his own opinions... and do not state any official position of Boston College Law School." Garvey defended Fitzgibbon's participation in the advertisement but also seemed to welcome faculty opposition to Catholic teaching.

"We also have faculty members who hold a contrary view, which they too are free to express publicly," he wrote. "Many have done so while referring to themselves as BC Law professors. One of them has publicly led the fight to oppose the Solomon Amendment on the grounds that it is an affront to gay and lesbian students and prospective members of the U.S. military. Others have taken controversial positions on such subjects as abortion, euthanasia, and the treatment of detainees."

Three days after Fitzgibbon’s pro-traditional marriage ad aired, a group of 76 "Individual Faculty and Administrators at Boston College Law School", including Dean Garvey, issued the following statement: "The undersigned members of the faculty and administration at Boston College Law School feel that it is important to reaffirm our belief in the equality of all of our students. We are proud of the fact that Boston College Law School was one of the first law schools in the country to include sexual orientation in its non-discrimination pledge, and we reaffirm our commitment to making our institution a welcome and safe place for all students, including LGBT students."

Ten Catholic Colleges that Promote Abortion

Ten Catholic Colleges that Promote Abortion
BY Tim Drake

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 11:00 AM

Parents wondering what their hard-earned money is supporting at Catholic colleges and universities might be interested in the latest findings from the Cardinal Newman Society.

The organization has discovered 10 Catholic colleges and universities that are promoting student internships with organizations whose missions or activities are directly opposed to the Church's moral teachings on issues related to abortion and marriage.

"Under what definition of 'Catholic education' do students receive academic credit to work for leading pro-abortion organizations?" asked Patrick Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society.

The "Dirty Deca" includes the following schools:

Boston College - recommends opportunities for students to work 'pro bono' for the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.

College of St. Benedict & St. John's University - the school's Gender and Women's Studies program promotes internship opportunities with the pro-abortion Feminist Majority Foundation and organizations supporting same-sex marriage.

DePaul University - the institution's Women's and Gender Studies program offers credit for internships, noting that students have interned with abortion provider Planned Parenthood and the Chicago Women's Health Center, which offers emergency contraceptive services and alternative insemination for "lesbians, bisexual, and queer couples, single women of any sexual orientation, and trans people."

Georgetown University - permits students to receive university funding for interning at abortion advocacy organizations.

Loyola University of Chicago - their website lists opportunities for internships and volunteer opportunities at Chicago's National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority Foundation, Planned Parenthood, and the Chicago Abortion Fund.

St. Edward's University - has allowed students to work at NARAL Pro-Choice Texas to fulfill a "Community Service in Women's Studies" credit requirement.

St. Norbert College - - the college's Women's and Gender Studies program recommends internships at several pro-abortion and same-sex marriage promoting organizations, including NOW, Legal Momentum, Planned Parenthood, the National Women's Health Network, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and PFLAG.

University of Notre Dame - the university's Gender Studies program offers internships for academic credit at places such as the National Organization for Women.

University of San Francisco - the school's Media Studies program has promoted internships with the California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League and Girlfriends Magazine.

To learn more, visit the Cardinal Newman Society.

From Spirit Daily

FROM THE MAIL: EXAMPLES OF TEACHING AT 'CATHOLIC' SCHOOLS DEMAND URGENT ACTION

The controversy over Notre Dame (allowing President Barack Obama, a pro-choice advocate, to speak at its commencement, and more to the point, awarding him an honorary degree) raised questions about what else Catholic colleges are allowing.

Indeed, commencement speakers are but the tip of the iceberg -- as our viewers can attest.

In one case, it was recalled that a priest named Matthew Fox taught at Holy Names, a small Catholic college in Oakland, for 12 years -- until 1996 -- despite his rejection of basic Catholic teachings, his extraordinarily unorthodox beliefs (he taught in a room with a skylight, expecting UFOs), and the fact that he worked with a practicing witch (who instructed priests, while Father Fox was big with nuns)

The examples, allegedly, and unfortunately, are multitudinous.

"My daughter just finished her first year at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska," wrote Pam Percival of Nevada. "When her father and I visited the college before her enrollment, we were impressed by the positive, upbeat attitudes of the students and many signs of faith around the campus. The address to the parents given by Father John P. Schlegel, S. J., was no less impressive -- assuring the parents that he would not let us down.

"It wasn't long, however, that we realized that we had a serious problem to deal with: our daughter was losing her faith.

"We were hearing about all the drinking parties, alcohol and boyfriends overnight in the dorms. My daughter began to miss attending some Sunday Masses at first -- and then it became the norm. She told me that not many people went, 'The church is almost empty.' Never mind going to Confession! While she was living at home, she had never missed a Sunday Mass unless she was sick.

"In addition to having her attend CCD classes, I had taught her all that I could about her Catholic Faith from good traditional Catholic resources. Now her Theology Professor, a Protestant gentleman, teaching 'Christianity in Context,' was refuting things that I had taught her. She said he made her feel like a fool. One such argument was about the contents of the Ark of the Covenant (the staff of Aaron, the manna, and the Ten Commandments) -- and how these items prefigured Jesus, His priesthood, and the Holy Eucharist. He was teaching the students that no one ever knew what was in the Ark of the Covenant and that it didn't matter anyway!"

From a Boston College alumnus, Alice Slattery, come distressing details about a male theology professor who is allegedly "married" to another man.

He teaches a course in spirituality and sexuality!

Boston College seems to be a case in need of Rome's special attention.

For 33 years, a woman named Mary Daly taught there, and that would be okay if she was not a radical anti-male activist (she believes the number of males on the planet must be reduced) and advocates research on parthenogenesis -- the growth and development of an embryo or seed without fertilization by a male.

She is perhaps best known for her second book, Beyond God the Father (1973).

"Ex-nun Mary Daly teaches lesbian witchcraft," noted a major Catholic news site. "She has written several books, including the anti-male and anti-Catholic Beyond God the Father andWickedary, a dictionary of sorts for witches.

"In Wickedary, Daly provides definitions as well as chants that she says can be used by women to free themselves from patriarchal oppression," notes Wikipedia.

"She also explores the labels that she says patriarchal society places on women to prolong what she sees as male domination of society.

In Wickedary, notes Catholic Culture, Daly defines the Beatific Vision as: "the 'face to face' vision of god in patriarchal heaven promised as a reward to good Christians; an afterlife of perpetual Boredom: union/ copulation with the 'Divine Essence'; the final consummate union of the Happy Dead Ones with the Supreme Dead One."

Daly believes, apparently, that it's the role of women to unveil the "liberatory" nature of labels such as "Hag," "Witch," and "Lunatic," we learn. She was dismissed for not allowed males into a course she taught.

"I went to Boston College from 1976 to 1980," says a viewer named Benjamin S. Joyce of Cape Cod. "I took a theology course in 'liberation theology' by Dr. James Fowler, Harvard Divinity, in the fall of 1976 (I think this was before John Paul II 'condemned' it). My friend was told by [a Jesuit in the department], 'Let me let you in on a secret, Hell doesn't exist.'"

"Sadly my alma mater, the University of San Diego, falls into this category of Catholic in name only," writes another viewer named Sandy. "Not long ago, the head of the theology department was a homosexual; there is a 'pride' club on campus. The list of 'atrocities' at USD is a long one.

"We were taught by the nuns of the Sacred Heart, and forty years ago the environment was a truly Catholic one and contributed to the spiritual formation that I treasure. There is an exceptionally beautiful chapel on the grounds of what was the College for Women. We would process there in our caps and gowns for every First Friday Mass.

"Can you imagine that happening today!"

"A 'feminist theologian' who thinks that God can be called 'Gaia,' after the Roman mother-earth goddess, has accepted a one-year honorary professorship at the University of San Diego, according to an announcement by the school, which describes itself on its web site as 'a Roman Catholic institution,'" reported a Catholic news site.

"Rosemary Radford Ruether will hold the Monsignor John R. Portman Chair in Roman Catholic Theology at USD for the academic year 2009-2010." She is also "a board member for the pro-abortion Catholics for a Free Choice (now Catholics for Choice) organization."

"I agree with your past article in regards to Rome needs to have a faster response to what is happening here with our Catholic Church and universities," wrote yet another, Carolyn Wong. "What do you recommend us lay people do? Do we contact Rome? How? Whom? And do they really listen?

"My son who is in his third year in college was accepted and wanted to attend Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. When we went to tour the college there were signs all over the campus mentioning when the gay and lesbian club would meet!

"I was shocked, and even more shocked that the many of the so-called Catholic parents had no problem with it. I would be better off sending him to a secular college where he would not be attending classes that would corrupt everything the Church has to say, rather than sending him to a Catholic College where the Jesuits would just turn him away from what is right!"

"My daughter is a 1993 graduate of Scranton University," says Chris Dailey of Ocean Pines, Maryland. "Her philosophy professor was an avowed atheist."

"Where does one go when there is no place to go?" asked viewer William E Bauer, PhD, an instructor at Western Nevada College who could find no help in questioning a theology professor who taught atheism.

"Congratulations for your courage to denounce ('the Truth shall set us free') the real issue at Notre-Dame: the subjective teaching of each individual instead of the teaching of the Church," said Eugene Belair from Ontario, Canada. "

"I am now retired but had a career in Catholic education for 31 years as a consultant and a principal and by choice returned to the classroom because I could not suffer any longer the pagan administration of our Catholic board.

"I also wish to make the following point: we, as Catholic believers, are also responsible for permitting and enduring the secularization of our beliefs and institutions."

[see also: What Father Matthew Fox taught]

[resources: The Gold Book of Prayers]

Merry Christmas: V-Monologues Unwrap $1K from BC Students and Support from Theology Dept.

Note: Well earned is the reputation that BC stands for "Barely Catholic". Once again, the "leadership" of this nominally Catholic College has totally abdicated its responsibility to lead young people into better decisions and scandalized them instead with this putrid example of modern pornography. If Catholic institutions fall this easily for this deception, imagine how quickly they'll be to follow the Antichrist when he comes...

Merry Christmas: V-Monologues Unwrap $1K from BC Students and Support from Theology Dept.

The student senate at Boston College voted to allocate $1,000 in college funds for increased 2009 campus productions of The Vagina Monologues. The Observer reports that a list of co-sponsors, including the theology department, was presented to the students in support of funding productions of the oft-criticized, vulgar play.

The Vagina Monologues is a sexually explicit and offensive play that favorably describes lesbian rape, group masturbation, and the reduction of sexuality to selfish pleasure. It is produced with the hope that by raising the awareness to violence against women, incidents of abuse will decrease.

The UGBC senate passed the decision to provide funds for the play in a narrow vote of 8-7. During deliberations, which lasted two hours, "concern over the appropriateness of the production and the need to bring women's issues into the public eye" were debated, The Observer reports.

Students in support of the Monologues argued that there is a precedent for funding the play, set by previous years. Boston College has been a consistent host of the play in past semesters.

However, the student senators who opposed the resolution cited the explicit humor in the play. Senator John Karl, who had previously supported productions of the Monologues, said that after reading the script he was now "troubled that it portrayed sexual assault in a liberating manner."

The Observer reports that in 2009 there will be three campus productions of The Vagina Monologues on campus. In past years there have been up to two performances a semester.

In the initial request for funding made to the student senators, a list of co-sponsors was included. "Perhaps the most controversial among this list of potential co-sponsors is the Theology Department," The Observer reports. "It remains unclear what actions, if any, will be taken in order to gauge professor support for the production before this year's co-sponsorship is either granted or denied."

"Some theology professors were concerned about the fact that more broad internal discussions within the department did not occur on such a controversial issue."

Some in the theology department, however, disagreed.

"I believe that the author, Eve Ensler, may have a good intention," said associate theology professor Margaret Schatkin. "The indecorous and intemperate language negates her cause, which is ostensibly to raise the position of women. This is officially the year of St. Paul in the Catholic Church, and the Apostle teaches us a lot about avoiding foul language."

"From the title on, the play does not meet apostolic standards of Christian discourse," continued Schatkin. "It also does not meet basic standards of literary quality. While admittedly there is great injustice around the world against women, e.g., human trafficking, such exploitation is not to be trivialized but should be made the subject of a serious dramatic work, which would not rely on vulgarity to get its message across."

Boston College in flap over lingerie

Boston College in flap over lingerie
Critics: Biz deal with Victoria's Secret 'disgraceful'

By Christine McConville
Thursday, November 13, 2008

Boston College's merchandising deal with racy lingerie peddler Victoria's Secret is raising ire on campus and among the conservative, Catholic school's alumni.

"It's disgraceful and appalling," said Boston College graduate C.J. Doyle, who runs the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts. "This is just one more example of the university's callous contempt for Catholic sensibilities and its complete indifference to what remains of its Catholic identity."

Yesterday on Newbury Street, outside a Victoria's Secret store that is selling hot-pink Boston College tank tops for $19.50 and Eagles "short shorts," others agreed.

"It's just not appropriate," said Maura Orrell of Quincy, as she surveyed the rhinestone- and glitter-covered Boston College sweatshirts, hanging just past the candy-colored Miracle bras.

"It's really tacky," added Marcia, a "50-ish" auditor from Boston.

Since July, Victoria's Secret stores have been selling university-themed clothing from 33 schools with strong name recognition. The Collegiate Licensing Co. is a partner and has arranged for some of the revenue to get passed on to the schools.

The universities of Minnesota and North Carolina have already pulled out of the deal, in part because they did not want their brand associated with the retailer.

"There is no way that we want that (BC) logo to be interpreted as 'We OK the sexualization of women,' " said Sharlene Hesse-Biber, director of the Women's Studies Center at Boston College, about the products.

At the Newbury Street Victoria's Secret store, the BC display is located just past life-sized photographs of nearly naked women in lacy lingerie, and next to racks of colorful, glittery underwear.

BC spokesman Jack Dunn said the school was "very selective" when it agreed to let Victoria's Secret sell BC sweatshirts, sweatpants, T-shirts and flip-flops as part of the racy chain's youth-oriented Pink line.

"We thought it was a tasteful line of clothing that college students wear," he said.

He said the college had no knowledge of Eagles-emblazoned "short shorts" that were selling next to the hot-pink BC tank tops.

"We never authorized undergarments," he said, though other colleges have their names printed on panties in the Pink collection.

He also said the university does not divulge how much it makes from selling licensed apparel.

Kenneth Wynne, an art dealer from Cape Cod, said he didn't understand all the fuss.

"If it's getting (the school) money, what's the big deal?" he said.

And Michelle Tammaro, a Boston University student from Raynham, said she'd buy the clothes if they had her school's name on them.

"I think it's pretty," she said.

Report: Catholic Colleges, Faculty Aided Pro-Abortion Obama

Who is to blame for the poor formation of conscience among Catholics in the US? Certainly the public statement indicate that these people feel they are in conformance with Catholic teaching and expect no sanctions for their public support of a platform that contradicts Catholic moral teaching on the key issues of our day. They need only look at the Catholic legislators in Massachusetts who voted to keep "gay marriage legal", who suffered absolutely no penalty from either the Church at large or the communities like Knights of Columbus that they were members of. The weeds grow tall amongst the wheat.

Report: Catholic Colleges, Faculty Aided Pro-Abortion Obama

Several outspoken professors and political activities on Catholic campuses helped deliver pro-abortion Barack Obama the Catholic vote, according to a new report from The Cardinal Newman Society.

Exit polls show that Obama won over self-described Catholics 54 to 45 percent--better than the 52-46 split among all Americans--and even made inroads with Mass-attending and white, non-Hispanic Catholics.

Despite the U.S. bishops' concerns about political candidates who support legalized abortion and embryonic stem cell research, several outspoken professors and political events at Catholic colleges and universities helped convince Catholics that they could vote for such candidates in good conscience. The Cardinal Newman Society report documents campus politics in 2008 under four sections: On-Campus Activities at Catholic Colleges, Catholic College Employees, Student Activities at Catholic Colleges, and Honors to Pro-Abortion and Stem Cell Advocates.

Among the examples cited in the report:

Outspoken professors including Boston College theology professor Lisa Sowle Cahill, Duquesne law professor Nicholas Cafardi (former dean of Duquesne's law school) and Notre Dame theology professor Cathleen Kaveny publicly challenged bishops' statements encouraging Catholics to oppose pro-abortion candidates.

Xavier University in Cincinnati hosted an Obama "Campaign for Change" rally on the eve of the election, and St. Peter's College in New Jersey hosted an Obama rally featuring a choir of Catholic schoolchildren.

Nine professors at Catholic colleges and universities served on Obama's Catholic National Advisory Committee.

Pamela Trotman Reid, president of St. Joseph College in Hartford, Connecticut, expressed excitement about Obama's candidacy and concern about future Supreme Court decisions affecting "the right of women to make choices about their own health."

Judy Feder, public policy professor and former public policy dean at Georgetown University, joined the Democratic ticket as a pro-abortion congressional candidate in Virginia's 10th District.

Several Catholic colleges and universities selected pro-abortion politicians as commencement speakers and honorees.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) meets this week in Baltimore, with politics and abortion on the agenda for discussion. In 2004 the USCCB mandated: "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

Last week The Cardinal Newman Society's Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education published a national survey finding that the behaviors and beliefs of Catholic college students often conflict with Catholic teachings.

Notre Dame Law/Theology Prof Announces Support for Obama

Note: So much for Ex Corde Ecclesiae and its requirement for a teaching mandatum. Now you know why it was a key part of the requirement, to keep rogue theology professors from formulating their own theology. Subsituting one's own viewpoint for the authority of the magisterium is a good starting point for the definition of pride. Let's see where it gets her...

Notre Dame Law/Theology Prof Announces Support for Obama

Cathleen Kaveny, University of Notre Dame professor of Law and Theology and a member of Sen. Barack Obama's National Catholic Advisory Committee, is the latest Catholic college professor to make a conspicuous endorsement of pro-abortion Obama for president. In a recent article in America Magazine, Kaveny argues that the Church's language of "intrinsic evil" is not strong enough to impede Catholics from voting for pro-abortion candidates.

"This latest occurence of a Catholic professor sowing confusion among Catholics about the bishops' teaching on the sanctity of life demonstrates the lengths to which some are willing to go to get Obama elected - as well as the urgent need for reforming many of our Catholic colleges and universities," said Patrick Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society.

Catholic professors Douglas Kmiec and Nicholas Cafardi made headlines in past months also by offering their support for Obama, while maintaining that abortion is wrong.

Together with Kaveny on the Obama campaign's National Catholic Advisory Committee are Nicholas Cafardi of Duquesne University, Sister Margaret Gannon of Marywood University, Lisa Cahill of Boston College, and other professors at Catholic colleges. Last week Cahill attacked the US bishops for damaging the "rich faith tradition" of the Catholic Church by preaching that Catholics cannot vote for pro-abortion candidates because of their position on abortion.

Kaveny argues for a distinction between "intrinsically evil" and "gravely evil" acts. She proposes that since intrinsically evil acts deal with objects, not intentions, other evil actions can sometimes outweigh abortion.

Referring to the Vatican II document Gaudium et Spes, Kaveny says that the Church does not lay out a specific plan of action to apply life principles to society, rather, "the prophetic use of the term 'intrinsic evil' is meant to start an urgent discussion among people of good will about grave injustices in the world...The language of intrinsic evil does not help us here. Only the virtue of practical wisdom, enlightened by charity, can take us further."

Kaveny states: "in this fallen world, moral character alone is not enough. Political competence and other practical skills are also required. The person with the best moral character may not be the best president."

The Notre Dame professor joined Kmiec and Cafardi in a joint response to a Newsweek article published by George Weigel. They criticized McCain’s pro-life platform as merely a "brand," and argued that Obama’s policies would promote life "in actuality."

Catholic Boston College Sponsors Panel Focusing on Homosexual Couples

Note: For those who believe the scandal has passed and all is well in the Archdiocese of Boston, read this closely. A Catholic institution is promoting immoral counterfeit arrangements between homosexuals and the Church leaders are hiding and doing nothing.

Catholic Boston College Sponsors Panel Focusing on Homosexual Couples

BOSTON, MA, June 16, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today criticized Jesuit administered Boston College for sponsoring and hosting Love Across Boundaries, which is being advertised as "a panel conversation with Boston couples who focus on their own interracial, interfaith and same-sex Love Across Boundaries". Featured participants will include Paul McLaughlin, Assistant Dean of Harvard College and his homosexual partner Jason Shumaker, Assistant Director of Financial Aid at MIT.

The event, sponsored by the New Center for Arts and Culture and Boston College's Office of the Provost, will be held this afternoon and this evening at BC's Bapst Library as part of Bloomsday Boston, the annual celebration of James Joyce and his novel Ulysses. Among those reading excerpts from the book will be former Lieutenant Governor Thomas P. O'Neill III, who is a longstanding supporter of legal abortion.

The Catholic Action League has called the event "another shameless betrayal of Catholic principles by the leadership of Boston College and its parent religious order, the Jesuits".
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle stated: "No reasonable person could be expected to believe that the Catholic Church is serious in its opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage as long as Catholic institutions publicly affirm homosexual relationships and prominently showcase pro-abortion political figures. Boston College, with the complicity of the New England Province of the Society of Jesus, continues to flaunt its infidelity to Catholic moral teaching and callously compromise what is left of its Catholic identity, while the Archdiocese of Boston, through its silence and inaction, functions as its enabler".

"This disgraceful episode is one more example of the systemic collapse of Catholic loyalties in the very leadership of the Church in the United States"

LifeSiteNews attempted to contact the Archdiocese of Boston, but they were not immediately available for comment.

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08061605.html

Dr. Peter Kreeft: "We are living in a spiritual Hiroshima"

Dr. Peter Kreeft has a recording on his website byt this title and i encourage you to visit at http://www.peterkreeft.com/home.htm. He is obviously one of the few devout Catholic teaching on a "Catholic" campus today and likely suffers much for it.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: Why do you use the word "jihad"? Is that really appropriate?

A: Primarily, the word "jihad" means "spiritual struggle." It is an accurate word per se for what Christians are facing today.

Q: Is Boston College a Catholic university?

A: No, Boston College is a Jesuit university that used to be Catholic. My mother says that I should not say anything about someone if I can't say something good; my mother would not like the Theology Department at Boston College. The Philosophy Department is pretty solid. In many ways, Boston College is still Catholic. BC is not so far gone as Georgetown, but it is farther gone than Notre Dame. Like New York City, Boston College is both great and ugly.

Q: When asked whether heart disease or cancer is the leading cause of death in the United States, it's correct to say "neither." The leading cause of death in the United States is murder by abortion.

A: Thank you.

Q: Could you please comment on the sexual revolution?

A: The sexual revolution did not just change lives, it changed the sources of life.

Q: When will the tide turn on our "Catholic" college campuses?

A: It is turning now. Students today are a sort of "populist groundswell" for orthodoxy, but "Catholic" college administrators/establishments "haven't heard about that yet."

Q: How happy are today's "liberated" people?

A: Not very. The best measure is the suicide rate. Since the 1950s, the suicide rate among teenagers has gone up 500%.

Q: How can people today "not get it?"

A: They kill their consciences. And to kill your conscience, you must go insane.

Q: How do you convert the insane?

A: You love them; you be honest with them; you talk with them; you be their friend; you pray for them.

Q: Would you ever allow one of your children to go to Boston College?

A: Three of my four children did go there, and they emerged "unscathed." Seriously, some of my best friends are Jesuits. There is hope for Boston College.

Pro-Homosexual Clubs at 96 Catholic Universities

Survey Finds Pro-Homosexual Clubs at 96 Catholic Universities in the United States
Catholic group challenges university presidents to disband pro-homosexual groups

By Michael Baggot

SPRING GROVE, PA, March 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Volunteers for the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) found that 45% of the websites of 211 major Catholic universities contained information about pro-homosexual clubs.

"Many of these clubs share in the movement's radical goal - to force social acceptance of unnatural vice on Christian America, and gag expressions of free speech that oppose the movement's ideological agenda," warns an official TFP statement.

The TFP statement cites two concrete examples of Catholic universities suppressing the free speech of critics of the pro-homosexual clubs.

In November 2003, members of the TFP Student Action group were kicked off of campus for handing out flyers detailing the Catechism of the Catholic Church's teaching on the sinfulness of homosexual activity.

In October 2005, Duquesne University cited Sophomore Ryan Miner for a violation against the school's anti-discriminatory policy for posting comments on his own blog opposing the formation of a "Gay-Straight Alliance" group. When Miner refused to write a 10-page paper presenting viewpoints for and against homosexuality, he was threatened with expulsion.

Some Catholic universities with a history of pro-homosexual club activity have increased support for the homosexual movement. Georgetown University, for instance, agreed in October 2007 to open and fully fund a center for homosexual students.

"Georgetown hosts mock same-sex "weddings," grants health benefits to the partners of homosexual employees, and provides services for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth and their Families," notes Thomas Peters, on his American Papist blog. The Georgetown GU Pride website even includes photos of students of the same sex kissing at a campus event.

The TFP report also lists other prestigious Catholic universities, including Boston College, Fordham, Marquette, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, and Villanova.

The TFP report attributes the growth of the homosexual movement on Catholic campuses to "a gradual blurring of the distinction between good and evil, a generalized loss of the sense of sin, declining standards of public morality, and, as seen above, the persecutory actions taken by college officials against those who do voice their loyalty to Church teaching."

In response to the growth of pro-homosexual activities on Catholic campuses, the TPF is organizing a petition to Catholic university presidents calling on them to disband pro-homosexual groups on campus.

The TFP report also encourages personal phone calls and letters to Catholic university presidents. In addition, TFP is launching a Purity is the Answer Campaign to promote purity, modesty, and temperance as the antidote to disordered passions.

Reaffirming TFP's opposition to the hateful treatment of individuals with same-sex attractions, its report states, "In doing this campaign, we have no intention to defame or disparage anyone. We are not moved by personal hatred against any individual. In intellectually opposing individuals or organizations promoting the homosexual agenda, our only intent is the defense of marriage, the family and the precious remnants of Christian civilization in society."

"As practicing Catholics, we are filled with compassion and pray for those who struggle against unrelenting and violent temptation to sin, be it toward homosexual sin or otherwise," the report adds.

(news tip courtesy of Thomas Peters of American Papist blog)

The Catholic Brand

The Challenge of Controlling the Catholic Brand
Theophilis
March 15, 2008

(ITH) - The article below from the Washington Post describes the trepidation that Catholic college presidents feel about the upcoming visit by Pope Benedict XVI. They feel that his likely response to their "leadership" will be admonishment and lecturing about "Catholic" identity and dissent. And understandably so.

These college presidents have benefited greatly from using the Catholic brand. Powerful and wealthy alumni who identify themselves as Catholic continue to pump millions of dollars into Catholic college endowments and supply a stream of descendant applicants to their Alma Maters. Further, Catholic high schools continue to encourage graduates to attend Catholic colleges and many have scholarships available from those colleges geographically closest to them .

The college presidents though openly flaunt their dissent from Catholic teaching on faith and morals in the name of "academic freedom". Why? One answer may be the demographic reality that fewer young people identify themselves as churchgoing Catholics. Another may be that to "compete" for faculty and students these colleges feel they need to diversify into demographics having nothing to do with the Catholic faith and more to do with current trends or fads like feminism, homosexuality and secularism.

The response of the Church leadership, especially the Pope, has been to add requirements for these colleges and their presidents to prove they are worthy of the Catholic moniker. Is their response rational or one of futility and desperation?

I liken it to a corporation that wants to control its brand. For Coca Cola to be Coca Cola, it must have the same ingredients, appearance, packaging and advertising wherever and whenever it is made and distributed. If a consumer were to detect a distinct difference in taste from time to time or place to place, they would likely complain or change brands to something more reliable.

Catholic colleges, by using the brand name "Catholic" have broken the rules of sound brand management. "Catholic" at Franciscan University at Steubenville, OH means something very different from "Catholic" at Georgetown University. An unsuspecting parent or student performing a college search almost has to eliminate the idea of a Catholic college from the equation. Indeed, it may be easier to have a Catholic experience at the Catholic Center at secular Boston University than at "Catholic" Boston College just three miles up Commonwealth Avenue.

The Church hierarchy responding to this problem of inconsistent brand has tried to impose some order. The document Ex Corde Ecclesiae issued by the Vatican sought to standardize the brand with respect to theology departments and the delivery system, the professors.

Likewise, the USCCB document, Catholics in Political Life, also sought to create guidelines by which Catholic colleges would approach political activity on their campuses. The reaction by the college presidents was predictable. They ignored these documents and the authority of the Vatican and Episcopate and continued to manage their colleges as separate franchises.

The result has been confusion and disillusionment on the part of practicing Catholics seeking an authentically Catholic experience. Organizations like the Cardinal Newman Society and National Catholic Register have called attention to the problem and produced guides for students and parents to use when selecting a college. In both cases, the list of authentically Catholic colleges is a small minority. And the geographic dispersion means that a student may well have to travel many miles and out of state to attend one.

So now the Pope is visiting and has on the agenda the problem described in this article. He will likely exhort the colleges to come more in line with the truth as defined by the magisterium of the Church. Less likely are any concrete steps to exert pressure on the college presidents or religious orders.

Many will cry that the Pope and the bishops are overstepping their authority and that they are trying to restrict academic freedom. But in reality they are trying to control the Catholic brand because to do otherwise usually means a steep decline in customers.

Gay Magazine Contrasts Holy Cross (Good) vs Boston College (Bad) for Gays

Warning: The link for this article is to a gay magazine with obviously offensive material.

But the real warning is for good Catholics planning to attend Holy Cross. They have taken a course far away from Catholic teaching on compassionate treatment of gays and into advocacy for activities clearly outside Catholic mortal teaching. It is indeed a fine line.

The ultimate goal of ministering to gays has to be to help them find Christ, to conform their lifestyle with Catholic moral teaching. This is not much different than the Church's and Catholic colleges' responsibility to all students who are called to lead chaste lives outside marriage.

Instead, colleges like Holy Cross have abandoned this mission and left the students in grave peril of damnation and sinfulness by promoting anti-Catholic teaching and organizations like gay clubs and planned Parenthood. The supposed role model at the college, an apostate Jesuit Priest, has much to answer for. Indeed Christ had stern words for those who would scandalize the 'little ones". Something about a millstone. No, the mission of a Christ-centered college would be in direct opposition to something so self-centered as a club that promotes a lifestyle and human definition based on sexual attraction.

A few excerpts:

Keeping the Faith :: GLBT students face adversity at Catholic colleges
by Scott Kearnan
EDGE Boston Contributor
Wednesday Nov 21, 2007

Seen through the eyes of a campus visitor or a promotional brochure,
it would seem that Boston College and College of the Holy Cross share a number
of similarities. Both are competitive schools, ranked among the best
Northeastern colleges by the Princeton Review. Both have beautiful campuses;
acres ofmanicured green grass and gothic architecture. And both have an
esteemed Catholic background, one that is particularly attractive to students
seeking a liberal arts education informed by Jesuit tradition.

But for gay students, these universities are separated by more than the
30 miles between Chestnut Hill and Worcester, Mass. Though Catholic colleges
are united under a common religion, one that is frequently inhospitable to the
needs of the GLBT community, gay students at BC and Holy Cross voice
personal experiences that are worlds apart.

From 2000 to 2004, BC ranked every year on the Princeton Review's list
of schools where "alternative lifestyles are not an alternative," though it
has been absent from the list since holding the No. 5 spot in 2006. And it was
only in 2005, after years of heated debate and an overwhelmingly supportive
student referendum, that Boston College finally added "sexual orientation" to
its official non-discrimination statement.

Note: I'm starting to re-think some of my negative perceptions of BC based on this article. But they may just be lagging and eventually succumb to the pressure tactics like Georgetown and now Holy Cross before them.

Corbman and Kropowensky are co-chairs of Holy Cross' ABiGaLe (Association of
Bisexuals, Gays and Lesbians). At the start of November, the organization hosted
a Rainbow Alliance Week--a series of socials, panels, and even a lecture by a
transgendered speaker--amidst fanfare and support. "We got all of our funding
from the school without question," says Joshua Rodriguez, 19.

Rodriguez is a member of the college's Allies organization,
which cosponsored the series of events. He says that even when the college
interjects Catholicism, it is respectful and within reason."

We had to have a religious faculty member present [at certain events],"
he explains of the limited intervention. "In case people had questions
afterwards."If anything, some suspect that the college's supervision is actually
for the benefit of GLBT students."

The administration is extremely supportive, and always has our back,"
says Corbman of ABiGaLe's experience with university officials. "I think they
have to document what they're doing so that they can defend us...and bring up why it's good."

Note: Holy Cross has gone over the line from compassion and ministry to overt support of clubs based on sexual attraction. Their actions are clearly dangerous to these young peoples' spiritual growth and physical well-being. They condemn them to a life of failure, disease, stigmatization, disappointment and childlessness. Christ offers life. GLBT or whatever they call it offers only death. And Holy Cross has much to answer for it.

Theology of Death at Catholic Universities

Bobby Schindler Reveals Shocking Support by Catholic Clergy for Sister's Euthanasia Killing

By Steve JalsevacDecember 14, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Bobby Schindler, the brother of Terri Shiavo, the young woman who was dehydrated to death in Florida in 2005, has become a prominent opponent of euthanasia since that wrenching time for his family. In a recent Challenge magazine interview with Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, Schindler revealed the shocking details of the support from many prominent Catholic clergy for the court ordered removal of food and hydration from Terri. Bobby is a practicing Catholic as was his sister.

Schindler stated that his sister "was not dying, not attached to any type of machinery and was only being sustained by food and water via a feeding tube." He noted that Catholic teaching does not allow a person "regardless of any advanced directive or even the sworn testimony of another person" to refuse food and water with the intent to cause their own death or that of another.

Still, Fr. Gerard Murphy of the Diocese of St. Petersburgh, Florida actually helped Judge Greer make the decision to dehydrate and starve Terri to death. Fr. Murphy did not consult with any members of Terri's family and did not even visit Terri. Murphy did however consult with Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, an assisted suicide/euthanasia activist, and testified on behalf of Michael Schiavo.

Bishop Lynch of the Diocese of St. Petersburg refused to help the family stop the euthanasia death order and supported Father Murphy's seriously flawed position. The bishop eventually issued a confusing statement that was of no help to the situation and after that the Florida bishops supported Bishop Lynch's position.

Other prominent US clergy also made public statements condoning what was happening to Terri.

Schindler said Jesuit Father John Paris, professor at Boston College, commented on Pope John Paul II's statement mandating life sustaining treatment. Paris said in these situations, "I think the best thing to do is ignore it and it will go away. It's not an authoritative teaching statement. The problem here is that non-Catholics think when the Pope says 'Jump,' we all say, 'How high?'

"Father Kevin O'Rourke, ethics professor at the Loyola University of Chicago Medical School, told the Miami Herald that preserving Terri's life was "blasphemy." He also said, "For Christians, it is a blasphemy to keep people alive as if you were doing them a favor."

Father Richard McBrien, theology professor at the University of Notre Dame, told Bill O'Reilly of Fox News that, "This is not a question of euthanasia," directly contradicting the Vatican. "This is the removal of an 'extraordinary' means of sustaining life..."

Fortunately, there were many other priests and some bishops who were appalled by what was happening. The Vatican began issuing their own statements. Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care, said, "Food and hydration are never considered medicine. To remove them means euthanasia, it means killing, and so this woman was killed by hunger and starvation. Let's stop with the euphemisms - they killed her."

Then, on March 31, Cardinal (Renato) Martino issued the strongest statement yet from Rome, when he said, "Whoever stands idly by without trying to prevent the death of Terri Schindler-Schiavo becomes an accomplice to murder."

Terri was successfully murdered as she succumbed to the extended withholding of food and water on March 31, 2005.

See the complete interview as published in the November The Interim newspaper at http://www.theinterim.com/2007/nov/08schindler.html

Boycott Amnesty International on Catholic Campuses

Ivory Tower Heretics Blog is calling on Catholic Colleges and Universities to discontinue affiliation with Amnesty International over their policy to support abortion.

Amnesty International supports abortion. In their twisted logic, they believe abortion should be available due to violence against women in cases of rape and incest.

The Catholic Church teaches that ABORTION IS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN! Not only is the procedure itself harmful to women, causing elevated risks of infertility, bleeding, breast cancer and psychological trauma, but in many countries abortion is used for sex selection, with females the intended victims. Abortion is murder of an innocent human baby, plain and simple.

The Vatican and Catholic Bishops have condemned AI's position and have even resigned from their board over this issue.

Note: Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace said that Catholics worldwide would boycott AI if it didn’t reverse the position at their biennial meeting."If in fact Amnesty International persists in this course of action, individuals and Catholic organizations must withdraw their support because, in deciding to promote abortion rights, Amnesty International has betrayed its mission," he said.

Amnesty International seems to propose that only some types of abortion can be advocated while excluding others such as forced abortions and sex selection. This is intellectually dishonest since there is no evidence that once the abortion industry sets up camp, greed isn't the prime motivator. In our own country, it is actually the rapist and family abuser who benefits most from the abortion industry as seen in Kansas where a lawsuit alleges that Planned Parenthood has covered up abortions of minors where rape and incest likely occurred. In fact, this seems to be standard procedure for Planned Parenthood as a core constituency is husbands, fathers and boyfriends who force women and girls into abortion as their "free choice".

Amnesty International was founded by a devout Catholic but has turned its back on Catholic faith and morals as the basis for human rights. They should have no place on Catholic college campuses.

We'll be listing Catholic colleges and universities in the coming days that have active AI chapters or affiliations. Here is the list today:

Georgetown University
Notre Dame
Boston College
Catholic University of America
DePaul University
Seton Hall University
Villanova University
St. Louis University
St. John's University
Santa Clara Law
University of San Francisco
Holy Cross College
Duquesne University
Creighton University
Providence College

Attention Cardinal O'Malley!!

Boston was once a major center of Catholic life and education. It flourished with strong support from the Irish, Italian, French and many other ethnic groups.

And now? It is a center of apostasy and shame. The state of Catholic Colleges is so bad that not one local Catholic college makes either the Cardinal Newman Society College Guide or the one put out by National Catholic Register. Indeed recent events and developments suggest these colleges are leading a full apostasy against the Church.

As reported in this blog, Merrimack College was the first stop for newly-elected secular progressive Governor Deval Patrick. His policies include support for gay marriage, abortion on demand without parental notification, expanded limitless embryonic stem cell research and cloning of humans, casino gambling and every other vice that the Church is against.

Boston College has likewise become a pit of immoral living. Seen on national TV was a proud group of BC women at the pro abortion rally in Washington DC wearing "Boston College Students for Choice" t-shirts and loudly proclaiming their support for abortion. On campus they maintain a link to Planned Parenthood and have hosted V* Monologues. Their dissident theologians are always summoned by major left-leaning main stream media for anti-Catholic opinions.

And then there's our recent story about the close ties between Emmanuel College in Boston and pharmaceutical giant Merck. The college even leases land to Merck for their Boston branch.

So corrupt are these once Catholic colleges that their sin cries to heaven for vengeance. But where is the local Bishop, in this case Cardinal Sean O'Malley? Is he not as strong as his neighbor bishop McManus of Worcester who recently warned Holy Cross College that their Catholic identity was in jeopardy? Why is this behavior allowed. Are these leaders not aware that they are alienating an entire generation of devout believers? Where is a parent to take their child if they want an authentic Catholic experience? Ohio? Virginia? When will O'Malley act in favor of Catholics? Is he too busy closing parishes and paying off abuse victims to restore Catholic identity to his archdiocese? Does he even care?

Culture of Death at Catholic Colleges in U.S. (Part 1)

3/22/2007 From Catholic Online

Patrick Reilly on the Threat of Pro-Abortion AdvocatesMANASSAS, Virginia, JULY 20, 2004

(Zenit) - The trend of Catholic colleges hosting abortion-rights advocates has grown so much that the U.S. bishops' conference has asked Church-related institutions to refrain from honoring those who act in defiance of Church teachings.

Patrick Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, co-authored a five-year study with the group's Erin Butcher investigating inroads made by advocates of abortion, contraception, premarital sexual activity and physician-assisted suicide on Catholic college campuses.

Reilly shared with us the importance of the U.S. bishops' statement and the danger of Catholic schools welcoming high-profile persons who publicly oppose the Church's fundamental moral principles.

Part 2 of this interview will appear Wednesday.

Q: In the recent statement, "Catholics in Political Life," the bishops' conference stated: "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions." What was the significance of the U.S. bishops warning schools against honoring dissenters?

Reilly: The statement is laudable, formally endorsing Cardinal Newman Society's long-held position against Catholic institutions honoring or inviting abortion-rights advocates.
Archbishop James Kelleher had already instituted this policy in Kansas City, but most other diocesan policies against pro-abortion honorees and speakers apply only to parishes and Church-owned facilities, as if the Catholic identity of those facilities has different implications than the Catholic identity of legally independent agencies.

The bishops' statement affirms that Catholic teaching and expectations are the same not only for all Catholic individuals -- with no exceptions for politicians -- but also for all Catholic institutions. We hope that diocesan policies will now formally reflect this national statement, which had near-unanimous support in the bishops' conference.

The ban on honors and speaking platforms is far-reaching, applying not only to pro-abortion Catholic politicians but to anyone who acts "in defiance of our fundamental moral principles."
Its reference to "platforms which would suggest support for their actions" could include campus lectures and commencement addresses, especially by politicians in the midst of campaigns, regardless of the speaking topic -- a direct challenge to the prevailing radical notion of academic freedom, which ignores Christian concerns about the truth and the common good.

Q: What is the danger of Catholic schools welcoming high-profile persons who publicly oppose Church teachings?

Reilly: There is always the danger that these individuals could use a platform at a Catholic institution to attack or at least erode support for Catholic teachings, even when invited to speak on a seemingly benign topic.

There are recent instances of public advocates spewing their venom on Catholic campuses, including NARAL's Kate Michelman at Boston College, National Organization for Women president Kim Gandy at Loyola University of New Orleans, pornographer Larry Flynt at Georgetown University, radical feminist Gloria Steinem at Fairfield University, and researchers engaged in human cloning and embryonic stem-cell research at Assumption College and the College of the Holy Cross.

More commonly, speakers and honorees do not challenge Catholic teaching while on campus. Colleges select these speakers and honorees because of their legitimate expertise and accomplishments, which are unrelated to their more-harmful activities. Cannot a pro-abortion politician give a campus lecture on taxes or the military? The argument put forward by many college officials is that such an event is proper because no one explicitly advocates immorality.

Take this to the extreme, of course, and a Catholic college could invite Hitler to speak on the merits of German music and art. It is doubtful that any Catholic college would host or honor Louis Farrakhan or David Duke because of their views on race, regardless of the speaking topic.

How did Catholic college leaders come to so easily disregard speakers' public advocacy of abortion, homosexual activity or "marriage," fetal experimentation, physician-assisted suicide and a host of other serious problems?

An award or speaking platform places an individual in an honored and respected position, regardless of what they discuss on campus. Honorees and lecturers differ from college faculty only in degree: despite the brevity of their presence on campus, they temporarily share professors' special status as educators and models for students. Canon law rightly insists that Catholic institutions expect "probity of life" outside the classroom for professors, and the same might be expected for lecturers and honorees.

The primary concern is scandal. Once an individual has publicly acted "in defiance of our fundamental moral principles,""that person is identified with that action regardless of the reason for the campus visit.

When a Catholic institution freely chooses to invite that individual to lecture or receive special honors, the institution publicly declares a lack of intensity in its commitment to Catholic teaching, disregards those who have been harmed by the individual's actions, undermines efforts to expose and oppose the individual's harmful behavior, and confuses students about the responsibilities of faithful Catholics.

When asked "Why not?" I cannot help but ask "Why?" The simplest argument against hosting honorees and lecturers who advance the culture of death is that humanity has not sunk so low as to necessitate such invitations. On any lecture topic, experts can be found who do not raise these concerns.

When choosing prominent commencement speakers and honorees, there are thousands of good options. Whereas college leaders tend to characterize any restriction on their freedom to select speakers and honorees as a death knell for quality scholarship, there is no such plight.