While here in Washington, attention has been focused on the speaking gig given to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at Georgetown's School of Public Policy, I was surprised to see that the Franciscan University of Steubenville invited retired Air Force General Michael Hayden to give the school's commencement address and receive an honorary degree. Hayden, of course, as Director of the National Security Agency and also of the CIA not only authorized the use of torture, he had openly defended such use again and again.
Last night, on EWTN's "The World Over," the President of Franciscan University at Steubenville, Father Terence Henry, talked about the school's decision to cease offering health care to its students rather than comply with the HHS mandates regarding contraception. At least twice he vowed that the university would never, never, never cooperate with and intrinsic evil. But, isn't torture an intrinsic evil? Did I miss the inaptly named Cardinal Newman Society's petition protest against Hayden's appearance? Or is Catholic outrage now to be reserved only for Democrats?