USF Update III

Life in SF, or what our friends over at USF refer to as "the Gay Rome."*

Today California Catholic Daily has an article on a column published in last week's Catholic San Francisco by USF President Fr. Steven J. Privett. Privett was responding to a column by George Weigel. The CCD article focused on Privett's blatant misrepresentation of Jesuit Fr. James Keenan's testimony on same-sex marriage before the Massachusetts legislature. (Keenan will be USF's summer Scholar-in-residence in 2008).

Another item in Fr. Privett's column that the CCD article could have mentioned but didn't was his citing of USF's "Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought" as an example of Catholic teaching in a Jesuit University. Fr. Privett would have been well advised to leave the Lane Center out of it. Just one example: on May 23, 2007 the Lane Center hosted the "Religion and Sexuality: What's the Connection" seminar. The seminar featured as guest speakers the Rev. Ignacio Castuera, President of the Clergy Network of Planned Parenthood and the Rev. Lisa Sargeant, Chaplain of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate.

Lest anyone think that the seminar was a disinterested pursuit of truth, let's examine a portion of the agenda:

1:45 – 2:30 Small Groups

• What Can Be Done to Change Policy Makers’ Understanding of Sexuality and Religion?

• What Can Be Done to Change Public Understanding of Sexuality and Religion?

• How Can Scholars, Progressive Clergy, and Sexual and Reproductive Health Organizations Work Better Together?

• Recommendations for Action

This is obviously an activists' planning session. The seminar was sponsored by the "Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing." To see where they stand on "Abortion as a Moral Decision" go here.

For an ongoing examination of the University of San Francisco, visit this page.

*For the origin of "the gay Rome" tag, listen to this q & a from the USF "Queer Perspectives" seminar, held at, where else, Most Holy Redeemer.