(CNSNews.com) - A Roman Catholic organization is urging a Catholic school to rescind its offer to give Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) an honorary doctoral degree. Doing so would "honor the church's opponents in the fight against abortion," the group said.

Patrick Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, said it would be a "scandal" for Marymount Manhattan College in New York City to give Sen. Clinton a special degree on Friday, May 20, when she is also scheduled to deliver the school's commencement address.

Reilly said his group, which is "dedicated to the renewal of Catholic identity at America's 220 Catholic colleges and universities," specifically objects to the school's plan because Clinton has supported legalized abortion, voted against a ban on partial-birth abortion, advocated expanding embryonic stem cell research and declared contraception "basic health care for women."

In addition, Reilly said the college's actions defy the "Catholics in Political Life" statement that was approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2004.

"The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles," the statement said. "They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

Reilly has written to Marymount Manhattan College President Judson Shaver, urging him to cancel Clinton's appearance "in order to restore fidelity to the college's Catholic mission, obedience to your bishop and public trust in your commitment to not lead astray the college's students, your employees and the general public."

Reilly also has sent a letter to New York Cardinal Edward Eagan seeking "immediate action to prevent scandal in the Archdiocese of New York."

"After decades of scandal at secularizing colleges, last June the bishops drew a line in the sand," Reilly said. "No college that deliberately crosses that line deserves the label 'Catholic' or the support of the faithful -- most especially monetary support."

Reilly also noted that Marymount Manhattan's commencement speaker in 2004 was New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, whom he called "a fervent advocate for abortion rights."

"Last year Spitzer, this year Hillary Clinton," Reilly remarked. "Can anyone trust this college's claim to a Catholic mission? They seem to have tried their hardest to honor the church's opponents in the fight against abortion, and now they publicly brush aside the bishops' clear expectations.

"We trust there will be consequences from the bishops, but lay Catholics also need to stand up and confront this scandal," he added.

'Honored and thrilled'

In an announcement on the Marymount Manhattan College website , Shaver said: "We are honored and thrilled that Sen. Clinton will be addressing the Marymount Manhattan community" at the school's upcoming graduation, when approximately 430 bachelor's degrees will be awarded.

"Sen. Clinton has worked diligently on behalf of New Yorkers and the nation, and with her record of service, I have no doubt that her message will inspire our graduates and their guests," Shaver added.

The college website also states that Marymount Manhattan College was founded by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary in Tarrytown, New York. In 1961, the college was independently chartered and separately incorporated as Marymount Manhattan College.

Over the years, the school has maintained its ties with the Catholic Church and a number of related organizations, a fact that makes the decision to honor Clinton particularly infuriating to Joseph Starrs, director of American Life League's Crusade for the Defense of Our Catholic Church.

"This is a clear violation of the stated policies of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops," Starrs told Cybercast News Service. "By giving Sen. Clinton an honorary degree, the college is thumbing his nose at the bishops and willfully disregarding a very clear mandate."

Reluctant bishop

As Cybercast News Service previously reported, this isn't the first time Clinton's appearance at a Catholic school has generated controversy.

On Monday, Jan. 31, 2005 the senator delivered an address on the government's role in health care at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., as part of a lecture series on "The Governmental Role in Effectuating the Corporal Works of Mercy."

Clinton's presence on the campus drew protesters from several Catholic, pro-life and Republican groups, including Judie Brown, president of the American Life League.

"Sen. Clinton's entire career has been characterized by complete defiance toward the Church's stance on the sanctity of innocent human life," Brown said. "Her repeated statements that Roe v. Wade should remain the law of the land illustrate how fundamentally opposed she is to the Catholic Church on this most basic of civil rights."

Brown urged Bishop Edward Kmiec of the Diocese of Buffalo to remind the college administration "that hosting a pro-abortion speaker such as Sen. Clinton is simply not in keeping with the teachings of the Catholic Church."

While Kmiec responded that he "certainly subscribes" to the statement on "Catholics in Political Life," he pointed to a section of the document that states Catholics are "committed to maintaining communications with public officials who make decisions every day that touch issues of human life and dignity."

As a result, Kmiec said he would allow the event to take place, "though reluctantly, in order to maintain channels of communication with Sen. Clinton and others who hold her views."

Desecrated legacy

Reilly, who noted that his group has been protesting "inappropriate commencement speakers and honorees at Catholic colleges and universities" for seven years, said he also is concerned about Seattle University, a Jesuit school that has invited Gov. Gary Locke of Washington state to deliver its commencement address and receive an honorary doctoral degree on June 13.

"Locke is a steadfast enemy of defenseless pre-born children and all those who would protect their lives," Reilly said.

"We are monitoring the commencement speakers and honorees at all 220 Catholic colleges and universities in the U.S.," he added, "and we will fight with bulldog tenacity to oppose any college president who chooses to embarrass his or her bishop.

"Pope John Paul II has been laid to rest, but his legacy continues to be desecrated by heretics and public dissenters in 'religious studies' departments, campus entertainment like the offensive 'Vagina Monologues' and college officials who fail to uphold their colleges' Catholic mission," Reilly said.

The time to act "is now, not later," he added. "Which class of students will finally be liberated from false teaching and fraudulent institutions? For how many more years do we abandon our young adults?"

Several calls to officials at Marymount Manhattan College and Sen. Clinton's office seeking comment for this article were not returned by press time.

See Earlier Story:
Catholic School Had No Business Inviting Sen. Clinton, Pro-Life Group Says (Jan. 31, 2005)

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