On the heels of the N.C. church story, I thought this story was ironic and unfortunate.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050506/NEWS0102/505060414
Summit Country Day, a college preparatory school in Hyde Park, had planned to have the governor of Kansas speak at this year's graduation ceremony. But the school recently rescinded its invitation to Kathleen Sebelius after it received complaints about her abortion stance from an anti-abortion group.
It's not that it's a surprise that Sebelius' abortion views would be found to be a problem by a Catholic institution as much as it's the whole way this played out. They are backtracking now at the last minute on an invitation made six months ago, and it reads like the main catalyst is the efforts of some Kansas wingnut group that has no real business in this discussion. Yes, she's pro-choice, but this is also her high school alma mater and she's gone on to become a state governor. I would even understand if they went forward only after securing a promise that abortion wouldn't be referenced in the speech (not that she was likely to anyway), but to sacrifice all that she might be able to offer to an audience that ought to be able to identify with her is truly a shame.
Maybe they can get Archbishop Pilarcyzk, who also weighed in against her, in her place. That would be wonderful. Here's a guy who has done more to damage the Catholic church in this area by his shameful bobbing and weaving on the priest sexual abuse epidemic in his diocese than almost any other scandal anyone could conjure up.