The Cardinal Newman Society has drafted a petition with approximately 14,000 signatures signed so far, asking Georgetown University to remove HHS Secretary of Kathleen Sebelius from speaking at the university’s commencement ceremony on May 18th.
Sebelius is a pro-choice Catholic and is heavily identified with the Obama Administration’s mandated healthcare reform, which many Catholics regard to be a threat to the free exercise of religion protected by the First Amendment in the Constitution.
The press release from the Cardinal Newman Society claims that, “Georgetown insults all Americans by this honor. The selection is especially insulting to faithful Catholics and their bishops, who are engaged in the fight for religious liberty and against abortion.”
Georgetown University, the country’s oldest Catholic and Jesuit University quietly removed Sebelius as the commencement speaker and changed her role to addressing a side event during commencement, week as an attempt to quiet the controversy.
The Cardinal Newman Society’s mission is to help renew and strengthen Catholic identity in Catholic higher education, and is dedicated in this battle to fighting until Sebelius is removed as a speaker at the ceremony.
