Saint Bonaventure Bravely Advocates “More Dialogue” About HHS Mandate
Saint Bonaventure University in upstate New York reportedly is responding to the Catholic lawsuits triggered by the HHS contraceptive mandate with a call for…”more dialogue.”
Saint Bonaventure reportedly has been offering contraceptive coverage to its employees for nearly a decade, as is required by New York law.
But the Olean Times Herald reports that “St. Bonaventure University officials are advocating ‘for careful and thoughtful dialogue’” on the issue of the HHS contraceptive mandate.
Dr. Emily F. Sinsabaugh, vice president for university relations at St. Bonaventure, said [Bonaventure President] Sister [Margaret] Carney has “worked closely with the leadership of both organizations to study and carefully understand the proposed legislation as well as the (bishops’) responses and those of other Catholic universities. “Our position at this point remains that we are continuing in this ongoing process of review, as Sister Margaret continues to advocate for careful and thoughtful dialogue on this matter,” Dr. Sinsabaugh said on behalf of Sister Carney. “It is not our practice to act outside of the general course of action of the majority of our colleague institutions in these organizations.”
This, coming from the university that hosted a medium who claims to have contacted the dead for over two dozen students on campus last Halloween.
Ironically, Sinsabaugh reportedly went on to charge that Franciscan University of Steubenville–which will drop health insurance coverage rather than go against Church teaching–”tends to operate in a very independent manner.”
Independent of whom? Certainly not of the bishops or the Vatican.
It seems an odd day when a college that hosts mediums and offers contraceptive coverage criticizes a faithful Catholic college for being “independent.”