Cardinal Newman Society reports: A Cincinnati city councilman who identifies himself as gay doesn’t think a man who disagrees with him should have the right to speak.
Anthony Munoz, former Cincinnati Bengals star, Pro Football Hall of Famer, and big-time local philanthropist, was asked by Xavier University to give this year’s commencement address.
Xavier University is a Catholic, Jesuit University, which means they like community service and social justice things like what Munoz champions in the local community.
But Anthony Munoz also believes that marriage should be between one man and one woman and isn’t shy about publicly supporting that belief. This is also a truth that the Catholic Church teaches and has taught uncompromisingly, so Xavier should be on board.
But this position is, apparently, radical and dangerous to some. So radical and dangerous, in fact, that in spite of his many great and laudable efforts to help so many people, a city council member thinks Munoz is unfit to speak to the graduates at Xavier, even though, one can reasonably assume, Munoz would not make marriage a major topic in his talk. Never mind any of that: Since Munoz dares disagree with same-sex marriage he must be censored.
Xavier, being a Catholic university, really has a great opportunity here to witness to the sanctity of marriage, express the true compassion at the heart of the Church’s message for all persons, show how this compassion is beautifully expressed in and through the teachings of the Church—even the ones some find hard or absurd, and to stand up for Munoz’s right to speak even if what he believes or says seems reprehensible to some in positions of power.
Or to students.
According to the city council member, a petition at the chronically laughable change.org regarding this kerfuffle was set up by Xavier students. The petition reads, in part: “Xavier University deserves a commencement speaker that all around reflects our university’s values…At this time, Mr. Munoz does not reflect those values.”
For their part the University said, “Anthony Munoz was selected as this year’s commencement speaker because of his tremendous service to our community through the Anthony Munoz Foundation and his remarkable reputation for charitable work.”
So the students think “tremendous service to our community,” a “remarkable reputation for charitable work,” and upholding the sanctity of marriage do not reflect the “university’s values”? Clearly they don’t understand what a Catholic university is all about.
For heaven’s sake, in 2009 Notre Dame honored the rabidly pro-abortion Barack Obama, whom Notre Dame would later sue for violating our constitutionally protected religious liberty, and had him speak at commencement in spite of massive and high-level opposition; ‘twould truly be a travesty if a city council member and a student petition cowed Xavier into disinviting Munoz because he boldly upholds a Catholic teaching that is not presently in vogue.