On Saturday, House Speaker John Boehner will give the commencement address at the Catholic University of America. More than 75 professors from Catholic universities have signed a letter expressing their criticism of the Ohio Republican. Former college professor Bill Donohue addresses this issue today:
The anti-Boehner letter alleges that the House Speaker’s “voting record is at variance from one of the Church’s most ancient moral teachings,” namely, support for the poor; it cites the Magisterium of the Church as its contemporary source. It is delightful to learn that all of these professors are now on record expressing fidelity to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Despite this breaking news, many concerns loom.
The professor cited as playing the lead role in writing the letter is Stephen F. Schneck of Catholic University. After most Catholics revolted against the Democrats last fall for their disastrous economic record, Schneck wrote that the vote “dealt a blow” to the Church’s concerns for the poor. His conclusion is curious: under the Obama administration, no segment of the population has been punished more than the poor (the poverty rate climbed to 14.3 percent in 2009, the highest since 1994).
The most oppressed among us are the unborn. Schneck, it should be noted, signed a letter in 2009 praising the nomination of Kathleen Sebelius as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services. She defends the killing of babies who are 80 percent born, was the proud recipient of tens of thousands of dollars from George Tiller, the king of partial-birth abortion, and was openly denounced by the last three archbishops of Kansas City. Moreover, Schneck supported the Obama health care bill over the objections of the bishops. Fidelity anyone?
Rep. John Boehner, on the contrary, is not only pro-life, his support for school vouchers for residents of Washington, D.C. shows his strong commitment to the poor. But he received no support from these “pro poor” professors. The Catholic League is proud of John Boehner, and wants him to know that the carping professors are not representative of Catholic sentiment.
