Gonzaga Won’t Disinvite Tutu
Gonzaga University is rejecting calls by social conservatives to find a new commencement speaker because of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s (shown in AP photo) support for abortion rights and gay marriage. Critics say the apartheid era hero and Nobel laureate’s social views contradict Catholic teachings, and more than 700 Gonzaga alumni, staff, faculty and students have signed petitions protesting Tutu’s campus appearance in May and the university’s plans to award the Anglican archbishop an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. “It goes against Catholic teaching and so much of what Gonzaga stands for – or at least should stand for,” Spokane attorney Patrick Kirby said in a letter to GU President Thayne McCulloh. A statement released by GU spokeswoman Mary Joan Hahn highlighted the archbishop’s fight against apartheid and emphasized the college is honored Tutu accepted its invitation/Jody Lawrence-Turner, SR. More here.
Question: Should Gonzaga University have invited Archbishop Desmond Tutu to speak at graduation?