by
Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 5,
2008
St.
Louis, MO (LifeNews.com) -- St. Louis University officials are
still undecided on whether they will do anything to discipline basketball
coach Rick Majerus after the pro-abortion comments he made at a rally
for pro-abortion presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Catholic
pro-life advocates have called for the university to do something
in response.
Last month, Majerus said in a television interview, "Im pro-choice personally. I believe that's the province of being a woman."
He also supported embryonic stem cell research that involves the destruction of human life.
Saint Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke condemned the comments and said Majerus is doing the Catholic university a disservice by speaking out against a prominent Catholic teaching.
The Rev. Lawrence Biondi, president of the college, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Monday that he has not spoken with Archbishop Burke about the issue.
At a press conference on Monday about another matter, Biondi didn't tell the newspaper much beyond the official statement the university produced after the controversy saying Majerus' comments were his own and didn't reflect the views of the educational institution.
"Archbishop Burke has said what he has said. Mr. Coach Rick Majerus has said what he has said," Biondi said. "And I've made my statement."
"We don't do embryonic stem cell research. We don't do abortions. We don't teach murder," Biondi added when asked about whether SLU tolerates the practices.
Asked if Majerus would be punished for his comments, Biondi shook his head no. However, SLU spokesman Clayton Berry later told the newspaper that Biondi was saying no that he would not answer any more questions about the incident.
Majerus
told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last month that he can't believe
the condemnation he's received, including Burke's saying he should
be denied communion.
"I'm very respectful to the archbishop, but I rely on my value
judgments, thanks to my education at Marquette, which is a Jesuit
institution, just like St. Louis," he said.
"It's not possible to be a Catholic and hold those positions," Burke said after hearing what Majerus said.
"When
you take a position in a Catholic university, you don't have to embrace
everything the Catholic church teaches. But you can't make statements
which call into question the identity and mission of the Catholic
church."


