Former Congressman, lawyer and political activist Fr. Robert Drinan, S.J. told a crowd of about 70 pre-law hopefuls Wednesday to engage in their communities and wage war on injustice.
“We get people coming to law school because they feel hurt by the injustices in the world,” he said. “Even in this country there are terrible injustices, and if you’re successful you’ll find them out.”
Fr. Drinan represented the state of Massachusetts in the United States Congress from 1971 to 1981. In the 1990s, his support for President Bill Clinton’s veto of a ban on partial-birth abortions earned him the criticism of the Catholic Church and prompted Pope John Paul II to forbid members of the clergy from participating in politics. He now teaches at the Georgetown University Law Center.
In his speech, Fr. Drinan urged future lawyers to pursue active roles in their communities, both internationally and locally.
“When you’re a person in the community and you’re a real person-that’s when you have a good life,” he said.
