SPOKANE, Wash. (RNS) Archbishop Desmond Tutu is slated to deliver the commencement address next month to Gonzaga University's graduating class. A group of alumni, however, are saying he isn't welcome and are urging administrators to withdraw the invitation.The admirable work of an entire, long life, which includes a Nobel Peace Prize, counts not at all with the alumni because Archbishop Tutu does not agree with every teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. If there is a living saint walking amongst us today, it is Tutu.
Patrick Kirby, a 1993 Gonzaga graduate, said Tutu is pro-abortion rights, has made offensive statements toward Jews and supports contraception and the ordination of gay clergy and shouldn't be honored by a Catholic institution.
As for his "offensive statements toward Jews", I've known the archbishop to speak with great respect of the Jewish faith and the Hebrew Testament in which his own Christian faith has its roots. What he has cautioned against is the State of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians, which is an entirely different matter. I know that many Jewish people and non-Jews are quick to cry anti-Semitism at the least criticism of of the policies of the Israeli state. A good many politicians in the US do not speak out, because they fear retribution at the ballot box. Nor is this the first time that alumni of universities have objected to appearances by Archbishop Tutu, and here I am, in my naïveté, still clinging to the ideal that one purpose of universities is the exploration of a diversity of ideas.
Thanks to Ann V for the link.
UPDATE: Sign the petition in support of Archbishop Tutu.
Well, Mimi, the Jesuits down the hill from me in Fordham honored him a few years back, so at least some seem not to be dismayed at this great man's whole person. Of couse, schools often depend on their alumni for funds, so the wallet may do the talking. :-(
ReplyDeleteTobias, I'm pleased to hear that Fordham honored Tutu. Perhaps Gonzaga will stand its ground. Thus my question mark in the title of the post.
ReplyDeleteThere is a petition. I linked to it on Facebook. Just a little bit from the email I got about this...
ReplyDelete"The Cardinal Newman Society, which led the opposition to President Obama's commencement speech at Notre Dame two years ago, is circulating a petition demanding that the President of Gonzaga University disinvite Archbishop Tutu -- but so far this time they only have a few hundred signatures."
Obviously, I signed the petition in support of Gonzaga standing their ground and ignoring the CNS and their petition!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, susan s., I'll look up your link to the petition in support of Gonzaga honoring Tutu.
ReplyDeleteThere are also a good number of Jews who take the Israeli government to task for its treatment of the Palestinians. If they can see the difference, these people should try harder to do the same.
ReplyDeleteIf they can see the difference, these people should try harder to do the same.
ReplyDeleteChristian, exactly. Indeed there are Jews who differ from the policies of the Israeli government. Witness: Jewish Voice for Peace.
You can see where a society named in honor of a closeted gay Victorian would take such a hard line.
ReplyDeleteHonest to Pete!
ReplyDeleteI'm not quite certain that Newman himself would have approved of the alumni protest. I've wondered if he had regrets after he crossed the Tiber, especially when the pope proclaimed himself infallible.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth m'dear, I am shocked! For the second time recently, you appear close to dumbfounded.
ReplyDeleteAnother very sad blunder on the part of seriously misguided RCs.
ReplyDeleteIf their faith is so fragile that they cannot listen to a person with different views....
ReplyDeleteAll it takes for the triumph of evil is RCs of good conscience to do nothing.
ReplyDeleteMimi, their faith is not so fragile they can not listen to a person with different views.
ReplyDeleteRather, their faith is so fragile they don't want others to listen to a person with different views.
Off to investigate JVP.
In my mind, there's a big difference between Jews in general terms and the Government of Israel. I do understand the sympathy of the one for the other; but you know, being a victim doesn't mean you can never do wrong. It's just a very short step from being a victim to being an oppressor in turn, as history has shown times without number.
ReplyDeleteJust look at how the poor, persecuted Christians treated the Pagans once they got the reins of imperial power in their hands back in ancient Rome, to take but one example. Or the way the poor, persecuted Puritans in New England treated the Baptists and Quakers, etc.
Wrong is wrong, though, and should be named.
JCF, when I signed the petition, I mentioned that I was a graduate of a Jesuit university. I hope that helped.
ReplyDeletekishnevi, I still find this sort of silly attempt to censor speech hard to believe, but it's not the first time, so I don't know why I'm surprised.
Russ, the distinction between Jews as a people, the Jewish faith, and the State of Israel is important to keep in mind. And yes, Christianity has a less than pristine history in its treatment of other groups when they are in charge.
So many good comments to reflect on but I would like to, as a victim of the RCC, reflect a little on JCF's "All it takes for the triumph of evil is RCs of good conscience to do nothing."
ReplyDeleteIMHO those of us with "good conscience" left. Either to become athiests, explore spirituality in peace, or the smart ones join TEC. (I spent quite a number of years being a belligerent athiest before I joined TEC.)
What I observe is that those who stay in very unhealthy relationships have been brainwashed through fear, intimidation or just downright stupidity in one group and the power and/or attention seekers in the second group.
I am so angry about this slam at Desmond Tutu. If I have a hero he be said hero. Humble, gracious, funny and kind--lifting up the poor, the marginalized, the disenfranchised.
Bonnie, some stay because they see the good that is still done in the RCC in the parishes and on the ground in spite of the powers that be. I stayed for a long time myself, too long, so I'm hardly in a position to criticize those who remain.
ReplyDelete