Posted by Morbo
The U.S. Roman Catholic bishops take their obligation to provide a moral education for young adults very seriously. Last July, the bishops approved a new policy forbidding Catholic colleges from giving “awards, honors and platforms” to those who disagree with church teachings.
This was seen as an effort to keep pro-abortion fanatics like John F. Kerry off campus and on the road to hell where they belong. At the Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C., some students are so enthusiastic about the policy that they have formed a vigilante brigade. If they get word that someone who is pro-choice plans to step foot on campus, they hoop and holler until that person is told not to come.
It worked in 2003 when that notorious baby-killer Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia’s non-voting delegate in Congress, wanted to visit the campus bookstore for an appearance. The thug brigade screamed so much that the store cancelled the event.
Given the diligence of the university’s thought police, it seems like a no-brainer that a serial adulterer who disagrees with the church on a high-profile issue relating to human life would be unwelcome at the school.
Such an individual was recently invited to speak at CUA. His lax morals and failure to embrace church views angered some students, who asked that he not be allowed to speak. This individual’s name is Newt Gingrich.
In a clever media stunt, members of the CUA College Democrats protested Gingrich’s appearance, pointing out that last year Italian film director Stanley Tucci was barred from campus because he supports legal abortion.
Gingrich, CUA College Democrats Director Frank Lankey Jr. told The Washington Post, opposes the church on the death penalty, and his adulterous behavior is well known. Lankey argued that Gingrich should be barred from campus.
The College Democrats could have also slammed Gingrich for his lack of concern for the poor. Catholic social doctrine teaches that the well off have an obligation to those less fortunate. Other than absolutely, positively nothing, what did Gingrich ever do for those in need?
Here’s the rub: The College Democrats didn’t really wanted to ban Gingrich. Lankey said as much. The group merely wanted to make the point that the university’s speaker policy is silly and arbitrary.
They succeeded. The protest put the university on the defensive. A university spokesman, Victor Nakas, twisted himself in knots arguing that Gingrich is not really in conflict with church teachings, since, according to Catholic beliefs, the death penalty is not absolutely forbidden.
Tell that to Pope John Paul II. Since becoming pope, John Paul has repeatedly called on U.S. leaders, including President George W. Bush, to halt specific executions. No matter what you think of the death penalty, it’s hard not to feel the sense of moral outrage that shines through the pope’s frequent appeals. The pope has yet to say which executions he favors. He seems to dislike them all.
As for adultery, Nakas said Gingrich’s past is not a problem because, “He’s not a public advocate for adultery.”
There’s an easy answer to that. Gingrich has a history of running off with younger women while the wife is clueless (or seriously ill in a hospital, as in the case of the first Mrs. Gingrich). Actions speak louder than words. Gingrich may not shout it from the housetops, but given the way he behaves, he sure looks like a public advocate for adultery to me.
It’s time for the right-wing morals police to quit being a bunch of hypocrites and run Newt “has anyone seen my pants?” Gingrich out of town.