The commencement speaker at Georgetown’s college graduation ceremony this May was Cardinal Francis Arinze, a well-known Nigerian prelate who has been mentioned as a possible successor to Pope John Paul II. Suggested as a speaker by College Dean Jane Dammen McAuliffe, the Cardinal was expected to discuss interreligious dialogue (he has a great deal of experience with Muslim-Christian relations). He instead focused on the family, which, he said towards the end of his speech, “is scorned and banalized by pornography, desecrated by fornication and adultery, mocked by homosexuality, sabotaged by irregular unions, and cut in two by divorce.”
The Cardinal’s comments provoked a small reaction at the ceremony-a few people walked out, including one professor who was seated on the stage-but 70 faculty followed up quickly with a petition denouncing the Cardinal’s comments, and McAuliffe eventually sent a letter to all graduates and their families to remind them of both the University’s respect for “the dignity and worth of every person” and its commitment to free speech. While there were probably more fornicators and divorc?es in the audience than any other category, the most politically incorrect remark was clearly directed at LGTBQ students, and this was the focus of the protest.
Yet free speech and wide-ranging dialogue are key parts of the University experience, and in the wake of the Cardinal’s words, it is easy to forget that his views are valuable, and far from out of line in many Catholic circles. A speech like the Cardinal’s would have made a strong Lecture Fund event: he is a well-known figure who brings some insight into Catholicism, not just in the Third World but also from the viewpoint of the Vatican, where he works as the president of the Pontifical Council on Interreligious Dialogue. Graduation ceremonies, however, are unique events, and a more appropriate speaker would congratulate the graduates, all of them, instead of trying to draw a line through the class.
But McAuliffe can’t be faulted for inviting the Cardinal to speak. He is a known expert on Muslim-Christian relations, and has spoken extensively around the United States on this topic. Her handling of the situation’s fallout-which involved a meeting with concerned students and faculty within a week of the ceremony-was diplomatic and balanced. You cannot expect a Catholic university to strongly and immediately denounce a well-known cardinal, especially a potential pope.
It is entirely possible that Arinze chose to deliver this speech at Georgetown for very specific reasons. The Georgetown community has made a great deal of progress on gay rights in the past few years, progress that doubtlessly sets off alarm bells in more conservative Catholic circles. Prelates like Arinze may see this as a time to draw a line in the sand, and force the University to either cut back programs like services for LGBTQ students or renounce its Catholic label. If Georgetown is going to effectively walk this tightrope, we will need similarly diplomatic responses to future crises.
