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Victoria Reggie Kennedy, widow of Sen. Ted Kennedy, apparently wasn’t a good enough Catholic to speak at the commencement of Anna Maria College. She is, however, a good enough for the law school of Boston College.
Back in April Anna Maria College in Paxton, west of Worcester, Massachusetts, was forced to withdraw its invitation to invited Victoria Reggie Kennedy to speak at its spring commencement. A spokesman for the Bishop of Worcester, Robert McManus, explained that Kennedy wouldn’t be welcome because of,
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ ruling “that Catholic institutions should not be honoring Catholics who take positions publicly which are contrary to the Catholic faith’s most fundamental principles, particularly on the dignity of life from conception and the sanctity of marriage.”
In other words, she can’t speak because of her support for abortion rights and gay marriage.
But Boston College, which is equally Catholic, announced several weeks ago that,
Victoria Reggie Kennedy… will give the Commencement Address at the 2012 Boston College Law School Commencement.
“Victoria Kennedy has been a powerful advocate for the powerless on issues such as gun control and education, among many others,” said BC Law Dean Vincent Rougeau. “Her perspective on these issues, as well as her experience as a practicing attorney for nearly twenty years, should be very interesting to our graduating class. I’m pleased that she has agreed to speak at Commencement.”
Boston College was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1863 and remains a Catholic, Jesuit-affiliated institution. It is, however, located within the Archdiocese of Boston and not subject to the Diocese of Worcester’s interpretation of Catholic priorities.
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Alex Y on May 16, 2012 4:45 AM:
I graduated from Boston College in 2007. Condoleeza Rice was the commencement speaker. Most of the faculty stood up and turned around as an act of protest; the students remained seated, but it caused no end of internal dissension. Many of the Catholics on campus reflexively sided with the Bush administration on just about everything, while many other Catholics considered her role in the Iraq war and association with war criminals beyond the pale.
In the end, she mostly just talked about the football rivalry between BC and Notre Dame (where she earned a graduate degree).
Ronnie Pudding on May 16, 2012 9:51 AM:
Several years ago, there was controversy at another Worcester college, Holy Cross, when pro-choice alum Chris Matthews was chosen to give the commencement speech.
Alan Tomlinson on May 16, 2012 12:40 PM:
In my experience the Jesuits are not known for kowtowing to any diocese.
Cheers,
Alan Tomlinson