On May 21-22, the 2010 commencement exercises at the Jesuit University of San Francisco will take place.
The commencement speaker for the USF School of Education and Nursing is Mr. Lloyd Dean, President and CEO of Catholic Healthcare West. Mr. Dean, who earned $5.8 million in 2005, and was a donor to the Barack Obama campaign, was quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle on March 28 applauding the recent passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) with the words “This historic legislation is the first step in the most profound change in health care policy in my lifetime.” Mr. Dean expressed no concern over the PPACA’s public funding of abortion which so troubled the Catholic bishops, not to mention a majority of American citizens.
Three days before Mr. Dean’s statement, on March 25, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a detailed legal analysis of the recently passed PPACA. The analysis showed how, among other things, the PPACA will: 1) violate the Hyde Amendment; 2) provide public funding for abortion, and 3) omit key conscience protections. The analysis further showed how the much ballyhooed “executive order” of President Obama can, legally, do nothing to address these issues.
Catholic Healthcare West is one of the largest members of the Catholic Healthcare Association. On March 11, 2010 the CHA issued their now famous letter to congress supporting the passage of the PPACA. The letter ignored the position of the Church that a healthcare bill that does not defend the right to life must be opposed. The responses to the CHA’s letter, on the part of the Catholic bishops were voluminous. That of Bishop Thomas Tobin of Rhode Island addressed to Sr. Carol Keehan, Chief Executive of the CHA, is representative:
“Your enthusiastic support of the legislation, in contradiction to the position of the Bishops of the United States, provided an excuse for members of Congress, misled the public and cause serious scandal for many members of the Church…”
It is disturbing, to say the least, that the graduating nurses at an ostensibly Catholic university, who may in the future be victimized for their fidelity to Catholic moral teaching, will be addressed by a man who contributed to the stripping of medical conscience protections. Mr. Dean will also be awarded an honorary degree.
A second Commencement speaker will be Mr. Dale Minami. Mr. Minami is being honored by the USF School of Law. He is a partner with Minami, Lew and Tamaki LLP. Mr. Minami is an outspoken and effective advocate for same-sex “marriage.” On December 8, 2007 Minami, Lew and Tamaki sponsored the Holiday Love 2007 Fundraiser in San Francisco. The fundraiser benefited “Asian Pacific Islander Equality” (API Equality), an advocacy group supporting same sex “marriage.” This is not too surprising--the honoring of same-sex marriage advocates has become a given at USF Law School. Last year’s commencement speaker for the school of law was San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris—an advocate for same-sex “marriage.” In the past, we have reported how every single person, without exception, honored at USF’s annual Public Interest Law Foundation gala, has been a major supporter of same-sex “marriage. Mr. Minami will be awarded an honorary degree.
A third speaker is Fr. John Jenkins of the University of Notre Dame. Fr. Jenkins will address the Graduate Students in the College of Arts and Sciences. Fr. Jenkins was not too well known before around the end of 2008. That’s when it became known that he had invited pro-abortion President Barack Obama to be Commencement Speaker and receive an honorary degree at his University. Fr. Jenkins’ invitation resulted in a firestorm of opposition—including from his own bishop. It also produced an unprecedented show of united disapproval towards one of their own by the American Catholic Bishops. At least 83 bishops publicly went on record in opposition to Fr. Jenkins invitation. Since no other particular accomplishment of Fr. Jenkins immediately springs to mind, it seems reasonable to assume that he is being honored for this action. Like President Obama at Notre Dame, Fr. Jenkins will be awarded an honorary degree.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
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