New Orleans’ Loyola University Boasts of Ties to Pro-Abort Alumni Politicians

New Orleans’ Loyola University Boasts of Ties to [Pro-Abort Alumni Politicians]

While it is always tempting to cozy up to powerful graduates, Loyola University in New Orleans might have done better on the occasion of celebrations for the Jesuit institution’s 100th anniversary to avoid singling out for praise a prominent “pro-choice” graduate.

Loyola notes in its official anniversary announcement:

Loyola has been nurturing the social and intellectual milieu of the community for the last 100 years,” said Jesuit Father Gregory Lucey, president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.

That impact is especially potent when Loyola graduates move into positions of power, such as Xavier University President Norman Francis, former state Supreme Court Justice Pascal Calogero, former Mayor Moon Landrieu and Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Lucey said.

“It makes a difference in the culture of a community, the social awareness and good public policy of a community,” he said.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu, also a former lieutenant governor, had a “pro-choice” voting record when serving in the Louisiana state legislature.

When Loyola honored the Landrieu family at commencement exercises in 2005, former New Orleans Archbishop Alfred Hughes skipped the event, citing the “pro-choice” positions of Mitch Landrieu and his sister, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu.

At the time, Catholic News Agency noted:

When Lt. Gov. Landrieu was a state legislator in the early 1990s, he opposed several bills that would have criminalized abortion. The bills passed but were vetoed by then-Gov. Buddy Roemer, and Landrieu voted to uphold the veto. Landrieu has said he views abortion as morally wrong but feels it should not be criminalized in all cases.

Archbishop Hughes said his action was consistent with a 2004 statement by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Catholics in Political Life,” which indicated that Catholic institutions of higher learning should not grant “awards, honors or platforms to those who act contrary to church teaching on fundamental moral principles.”

One can only wonder what the original Jesuits would have made of Loyola’s boasting its role in nurturing a leader with a “pro-choice” voting record.