Lynn Woolsey, Goodwin Liu to receive honorary degrees this month

On May 17-19, the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco will celebrate its spring 2012 commencement exercises. Speeches will be made, honorary degrees will be awarded, and once again the Catholic Church will be abused.

On May 19 the students of USF’s McLaren School of Management will be addressed by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey. According to Project Vote Smart, since 1995 Woolsey has not once received anything other than a 100 percent rating from Planned Parenthood or NARAL. Since 1995 she has not once received a rating other than 100 percent from the Human Rights Campaign, the most powerful homosexual activist lobbying group in the country. 

Particulars of Woolsey’s record, who is a nominal Catholic, are not hard to find. In 2003, she voted against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban. In 2007, she co-sponsored the “Stem –Cell Research Act.” The act allowed would have allowed embryonic stem-cell research. It was vetoed by then-President George W. Bush.

On May 15, 2008, when the California Supreme Court declared same-sex “marriage” to be legal Woolsey wrote “Like many Californians, I am thrilled by this morning’s decision by the California Supreme Court to overturn the ban on same sex marriage.”

Six months later, the people of the state of California overruled the state Supreme Court and re-established the true definition of marriage through Proposition 8. In an article published on the Politico website on November 9, 2009, Woolsey actually encouraged the IRS to restrict the freedom of Catholic Bishops to lobby on political issues: “The IRS is less restrictive about church involvement in efforts to influence legislation than it is about involvement in campaigns and elections. Given the political behavior of USCCB in this case, maybe it shouldn’t be.”

USF will present Woolsey with an honorary degree.

Also on May 19, USF’s School of Law will be addressed by Goodwin Liu, associate justice of the Supreme Court of California. In 2011, President Obama nominated Liu to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The U.S. Senate rejected the nomination. At the time Curt Levey, executive director of the conservative Committee for Justice, described the pro-abortion Liu “the worst of Obama’s nominees at all levels of the federal courts.” This view was widely shared.

Life News reported that Ed Whelan, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center noted that Liu “…was so left-wing that former ‘White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel initially vetoed’ his candidacy for the Ninth Circuit ‘on the ground that Liu’s left-wing record made him too controversial.”

Liu’s defeat did not seem to affect California’s Governor Jerry Brown. In 2011, Brown nominated Liu to the state’s Supreme Court. Liu sailed through the process with no effective statewide opposition.

Liu is also a supporter of same-sex “marriage.” On September 1, 2011, the Above the Law blog reported “As a law professor, Liu has backed the rights of same-sex couples to marry, and signed on to legal briefs supporting those rights in a 2008 case that prompted the state Supreme Court to invalidate the state’s previous ban on gay marriage.” USF will present Liu with an honorary degree.

The honoring of such anti-Catholic persons at university commencements is finally meeting some hierarchical opposition. On April 30, Bishop George Murry, SJ of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, instructed Mercy College School of Nursing to rescind its invitation to state representative Bob Hagan, a pro-abortion Democrat. The school had invited Hagan to give its commencement address.

Bishop Murry joins Bishop Robert McManus of the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, who in March asked Anna Maria College to rescind its invitation to Victoria Reggie Kennedy, second wife of the late Ted Kennedy. Mrs. Kennedy is pro-abortion. She was scheduled to receive an honorary degree.

To express opposition and to ask Archbishop George Niederauer to speak out against the conferring of honors upon such open enemies of the Church, please call 415-614-5500.

 

READER COMMENTS

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 1:45 AM By truth hurtz
Called the number, was told Niederauer was too busy to come to the phone…he was watching reruns of Brokeback Mountain.

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 4:58 AM By MAC
Why does Bishop George H. Niederauer allow this University to call itself “CATHOLIC”? With silent Bishops or Bishops who appear to give a wink and a nod to heretics and schismatics no wonder the Church is experiencing such difficulties, and so many Catholics who don’t go to Church. No one likes hypocracy.

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 5:32 AM By Gabriel Espinosa 
Forget about petitioning Niederauer. That is a waste of time. Turn directly to Rome. Petition the HolynFathernthrough the Papal Nuncio in Washington, or directly, if you have an avenue.

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 6:07 AM By Ted
Again, the failure of leaders to lead does damage. A faster turnover among bishops in the United States will be a good thing, but only if men who are going to lead and insist on Catholic Institutions acting as if they were actually Catholic are appointed. They need to lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 6:16 AM By hoary
The Jesuits were once the stalwarts of the Church. No longer. With Religious orders and “Catholic” universitiies like this, who needs enemies from witnhout?

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 6:17 AM By St. Christopher
B. Niederauer is simply an embarrassment to the Catholic Church and once again raises the question of proper oversight regarding the process for appointment of bishops and of their continued performance and leadership. Why should the Church, and the poor members of the affected diocese, have to wait out the virtual lifetime of a bishop that so obviously gives scandal to the Church, and public embarrassment. The Holy Father must stand up to these bishops, and the phony “Office of Bishops,” in directing that they follow all Church teachings, including Summorum Pontificum. A recent Virginia pastor mentioned something to the effect that no one was really supposed to take the Latin Mass seriously, as his N.O. masses were all full and the local bishop was not demanding that he pay attention to calls to institute a Latin Mass. Giving honor to moral scoundrels like Liu and Woolsey is far worse, of course. Local bishops are not aristocracy that can do what they wish, but servants. What an Alice in Wonderland Diocese.

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 6:19 AM By JMJ
Isn’t it wonderful just how so many people are obedient to the Teachings of Church? Not!! As we have seen the back-lash caused by these same ‘catholics’ against the Vatican for becoming Men of God, and trying to get those ‘nuns’ back into the habit of Jesus, these same ‘catholics’ will protest loudly when God sends His Wrath down upon us. Much wailing and grinding of teeth will be had. +JMJ+

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 6:57 AM By Dan
The Archbishop has just been bought by this crowd by allowing himself to be honored at Loaves and Fishes. Or rather, he sold is miter, the very miter Bishops Murry and McManus wear to defend the Church against her enemies. Nevertheles, thank you Calcatholic for the number. I will call.

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 7:31 AM By Tm
Again, why would any serious Catholic pay money to go to these universities for education. They are actively indoctrinating anti Catholic teachings. I for one will start praying that such institutions either quickly reform or quickly become unaffiliated.

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 8:01 AM By Mike Malone
Big surprise! USF’s track record in bucking the teachings of the Church is well known. USF and most Jesuits have lost the faith by opting to go with culture rather than truth. It’s time to the Church to remove it’s affiliation with USF. Let them formally become a secularist university.l

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 8:17 AM By MD
Wow, a couple things come to mind here. First, I sure hope the bishops take a stance and reprimand schools that have speakers who defy Church teachings, especially when it comes to the 5 non-negotiable. The other thing I think is interesting is the fact that the politicians who overtly support the notion of same sex marriage have near perfect ratings from planned parenthood with their pro-abortion activism. As a people, we need to be cognizant of who we vote for and strive to educate our society to vote pro-life better than we are doing now. God Love You.

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 8:26 AM By tony mangini
USF another signer of the land o lakes agreement or ex corde ecclesaie? “the holiness of the church comes from Christ and therefore endures despite the weakness of those charged with bearing it into the world”.

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 8:40 AM By DF
With 90% of Catholic women on the pill and who knows how many men view religion as women’s stuff; is is a wonder that there are any true Catholics left in the world.

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 8:47 AM By CalWalkr
It will be interesting to see if the students protest these speakers like they do in secular universities. A good mass “no show/walk out” might just deliver a message to the clowns leading these Catholic institutions of higher learning that the students “get it” even when they can’t seem to figure out what being a Catholic is all about.

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 9:02 AM By Bob
SF doesn’t have a lock on things, LA has a few things, too. LMU had a “Lavender Graduation Celebration” on April 28, 2012 (St. Mary’s College will have their’s on May 10 and USF is scheduled for May 15). LMU Law has invited a 9th Circuit judge who is pro-choice and Mt. St. Mary’s will have a pro-same-sex LA Times columnist as commencement speakers.

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 9:24 AM By Abeca Christian
Ive never seen their campus, maybe Catholics are so shallow that they place their kids there because the campus is pretty, here in San Diego, USD is a beautiful Campus with a nice Church and you see many Catholics proudly place their kids there because of that. USF is the role model for many heretical Catholic colleges, USD is right behind them! Look at their latest scandal “the drag show”. USF might have a friends in USD, heck I’m sure they say if the Jesuits can do it why can’t other Catholic Colleges too? Like my mum always says Why do they have to copy cat the bad, why not learn the good from the faith, why do the bad?. Seriously if you are moved to do evil, why can’t you also be moved to do good?

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 9:41 AM By goodcause
If Obama gets a free pass to speak at Notre Dame, we souldn’t be surprised to see Lynn Woolsey at USF.

Posted Thursday, May 03, 2012 10:16 AM By Larry
How about some loud inside the building or outside-on-the-street protests at the May 19 event?