Catholic University Graduation Crowd Blasted for Heckling Student Speaker
by Jim Brown
June 7, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The New York-based Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is criticizing the actions of spectators and graduates who heckled a student commencement speaker at a Catholic university in Minnesota for airing some of his conservative beliefs.
All-American football player and 4.0 student Ben Kessler was repeatedly interrupted by boos and catcalls during the commencement exercises at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Kessler encouraged his fellow graduates to "stop making selfish choices," such as using birth control and protesting a school policy that bans homosexual and other unmarried couples from rooming together on school trips.
Some students and faculty members responded to the student speaker by turning their backs on him and calling him profane names. Also, two days after the graduation ceremony, University of St. Thomas president Dennis Dease issued a statement, in which he claimed "it was not appropriate for Kessler to use the commencement exercise as a venue to express his opinions on several issues."
Catholic League communications director Kiera McCaffrey disagrees, however. She says Kessler's comments were "completely appropriate" and called the response of the graduation ceremony crowd "absolutely disgraceful."
The University of St. Thomas touts itself as a comprehensive Catholic school with a mission to educate students to become "morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely and work skillfully to advance the common good." However, the Catholic League spokeswoman wonders how well such goals can be fulfilled at a school where a student's expression of views consistent with traditional Catholic doctrine is considered inappropriate.
"You wouldn't think that defending Catholic teaching on things like birth control would be controversial at a Catholic college," McCaffrey says, "but as we all know, it unfortunately is. And the fact that some of the students and faculty reacted the way they did just shows that they're pigheaded and will refuse to listen."
Kessler should be praised, rather than heckled, for valuing church doctrine, McCaffrey contends. However, she points out, the kind of disdain for traditional beliefs and church teachings displayed at the recent University of St. Thomas commencement is, unfortunately, not at all uncommon.
"It's a sad situation at many Catholic colleges," the Catholic League communications director notes. "Certainly not all but a good number of them have moved away so much from Christian tradition or just pay Catholic values lip service."
Even schools whose leaders claim they are committed to maintaining their institution's distinct Catholic identity may find that distinction eroded over time, McCaffrey observes. "Even if that may not be the intention of the people who run the school," she says, "many students think, 'Oh, I'm going to go to this school because they have a good basketball team or they have a great math department.'"
If the University of St. Thomas and other Catholic schools want to educate students who will be morally responsible leaders, McCaffrey feels they should begin by upholding the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and affirming students like Ben Kessler, who espouse traditional values consistent with church doctrine.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
