Before John Boehner delivered the commencement address at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., about 75 Catholic academics sent the speaker a letter denouncing the House Republicans’ budget as inconsistent with the Catholic Church’s teachings about social justice.

In response to a letter from Paul Ryan, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, thanked Ryan for his “continued attention to the guidance of Catholic social justice in the current delicate budget considerations in Congress.”