While Hillary Clinton was courting votes, Rick Majerus was courting trouble.

First, he said he was "not going to go there."

Then, he did.

The Catholic basketball coach for the Catholic St. Louis University looked into the TV camera at the Clinton rally last weekend and said, "I'm pro-choice, personally."

Uh-oh.

Then he added:

"I'm very much an advocate for stem cell research," Majerus told KMOV-TV at the Saturday rally at McCluer North High School.

Cut to film of Archbishop Burke's head exploding!

The Catholic Right's autocratic point man in the central Mississippi River valley thundered his displeasure from halfway across the country in Washington, DC where he was at the annual anti-abortion protest marking the anniversary of the Roe decision. Again, as STLtoday reported:

On Tuesday, St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke said St. Louis University should discipline Majerus for comments he made at the rally. Burke also told the Post-Dispatch that he would deny Majerus holy Communion if the coach did not change his positions on abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research.

Denying the talented basketball coach Communion is one thing. But having St. Louis University "discipline him?" This gives "Burkean conservatism"a whole new meaning.

St. Louis University is a Catholic university -- but much like St. Peter's College in New Jersey --as I discussed in Part Forty-nine of this series, another Catholic institution similarly criticized by members of a fuming Catholic Right,-- which recently hosted a rally for pro-choice, pro-stem cell research Barack Obama, it is a Jesuit school; and Jesuits are known in Catholic circles for their adherence to reason, greater tolerance for differing opinions as well as emphasizing social justice issues.  More importantly, as the Missouri Supreme Court recently ruled when it recently received $80 million in state funding to construct a new arena, the school "is not controlled by a religious creed."

Fortunately, faculty at the school have spoken up for Majerus, defending his First Amendment right to speak his mind. The university president didn't even bother commenting. Again, as STLtoday reported:

"If SLU wants to have a policy of, 'you have to be Catholic and believe the Catholic way,' SLU wouldn't exist," said Laura Willingham, research assistant in SLU's School of Medicine. "Should (Majerus) have said it publicly? There's freedom of speech."

Harold Bush, an English professor who is president of the SLU Faculty Council, said it's unrealistic to think that people affiliated with the university don't have different viewpoints.

"It's in the nature of the university to allow for and encourage open debate on a wide variety of issues," he said.

What is at play here is another bully of the Catholic Right using whatever means possible to silence dissent-- and interfering with the rights of citizens and candidates for public office who disagree with Vatican teachings on certain matters.  And as I've stated in my earlier pieces in this series, such bullies must be challenged. Those who will not tolerate differing opinions will endanger the right of other to believe as they see fit.

But there is also something refreshing and encouraging going on here:  Whether it be St. Patrick's College in New Jersey; Coach Majerus; or the faculty at St. Louis University -- there are Catholics willing to stand up to autocrats like Archbishop Burke. And that is a good thing. A very good thing.

The Catholic Right: A Series, by Frank L. Cocozzelli :


Part One  Part Two  Part Three  Part Four  Part Five  Part Six   Intermezzo   Part Eight   Part Nine  Part Ten   Part Eleven   Part Twelve   Part Thirteen   Part Fourteen   Second Intermezzo   Part Sixteen   Part Seventeen   Part Eighteen   Part Eighteen   Part Nineteen   Part Twenty   Part Twenty-one   Part Twenty-two   Part Twenty-three   Part Twenty-four   Part Twenty-five   Part Twenty-six   Part Twenty-seven   Part Twenty-eight   Part Twenty-nine   Part Thirty   Part Thirty-one   Part Thirty-two   Part Thirty-three   Part Thirty-four   Part Thirty-five   Part Thirty-six   Part Thirty-seven   Part Thirty-eight   Part Thirty-nine   Part Forty   Part Forty-one   Part Forty-two   Part Forty-three   Part Forty-four   Part Forty-five   Part Forty-six   Part Forty-seven   Part Forty-eight   Part Forty-nine