Dear President Snyder,

We are disappointed that members of the Department of Theological Studies continue to act in contradiction to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Not only do they penalize students for calling God Father, not only do they push gender theory via pronoun policing, but now they have an upcoming event on April 7th, 2022 promoting women’s ordination. 

The advertising for the event (see below) claims that Diane Smith Whalen is a “Roman Catholic Woman Priest.” In fact, Diane Smith Whalen’s claim to be a Roman Catholic priest has as much validity as the claim of David Allen Bawden who styles himself Pope Michael to be the current Roman Pontiff. He isn’t the pope, and she isn’t a priest. 

The Church does not “forbid” women’s ordination as if it were banning bingo in the parish hall during Lent. Rather, as Pope St. John Paul II pointed out, the Church teaches that she is not authorized to admit women to priestly ordination because the sacraments were instituted by Jesus himself. No pope can authorize baptism with sand, the holy Eucharist with sausage, or the ordination to priesthood with females. The advertisement for this event suggests a “priesthood redefined” away from fidelity to what Christ established. Jesus, although he regularly broke with Jewish custom, retained the distinctively Jewish male priesthood unlike the pagan religions of the time which had female priests. 

We want events that support rather than tear down the Church. We want a theology of faith rather than an ideology of secularism. We want LMU to be institutionally committed to Roman Catholicism rather than to radical feminism. 

Sincerely,

Laura Remington, LMU Alum, Class of 1996 and M.Ed. 2000

To support this effort, please sign below and circulate the link to this petition https://renewlmu.com/ by emailing friends and posting on your social media.  LMU’s President can be reached at 310.338.2775

LMU has announced the death of another beloved Jesuit professor:

Rev. Richard Rolfs, S.J., former LMU dean of students, emeritus professor of history, and Faculty Hall of Fame member, passed away on March 7, 2022, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 98 years old. 

Father Rolfs joined Loyola University in 1968 as an instructor in political science. He became an assistant professor of European history in 1974, an associate professor in 1980, and was promoted to the rank of professor in 1997. Father Rolfs retired in 2005 and was awarded emeritus status, continuing to teach in a part-time capacity until 2012. An esteemed scholar, Father Rolfs was an expert on the history of Germany’s Third Reich, the Holocaust, and the roots of anti-Semitism. 

His legacy is reflected in the generations of students and colleagues he impacted throughout his service to LMU. Father Rolfs was dean of students from 1964-70, president of the Academic Assembly from 1978-79, and chair of the Department of History from 1978-86. He also served as a trustee from 1978-86, where he was a member of the Executive Committee, the Facilities and Long-Range Planning Committee, the Committee for Academic Affairs, and the Student Affairs Committee. 

Father Rolfs attended Loyola University from 1946-48. He earned an A.B. in philosophy, an M.A. in history, and an M.A. in philosophy from Gonzaga University, and his Ph.D. from the UC Santa Barbara. He also earned a Licentiate in Theology from the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Father Rolfs began his teaching career at Loyola High School in 1955. 

Father Rolfs entered the Society of Jesus on Aug. 14, 1948, was ordained on 
July 26, 1961, and professed his final vows on March 19, 1977. 

We thank God for the gift of Fr. Rolfs, for his teaching so many generations of LMU students, and for his faithful ministry as a priest. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

On December 7th, Marketing and Communications sent out an email to the LMU community inviting them to celebrate Kwanzaa the next day, but did not post a similar advertisement to celebrate the Immaculate Conception of Mary the next day. You might think that an institution named Loyola Marymount might have a particular interest in promoting a celebration of the woman called by Wordsworth ‘our tainted nature’s solitary boast.’ You might think that President Snyder would send a special invitation to attend Mass, but his email communications are more often about his own political opinions which he feels compelled to share with the entire community, inevitably highlighting his woke bona fides. Maybe next year the LMU community will get an email reminding them to celebrate the great mother of God Mary most holy.  Or maybe status quo LMU will continue.

Dear President Snyder,

The Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination at LMU is supposed to be “a community of scholars who work in dialogue with the Catholic intellectual tradition by developing, critically examining, communicating, or otherwise engaging the rich resources of Catholic thought and imagination, especially as it is informed by Jesuit and Ignatian vision.” It was set up under your predecessor President David Burcham in response to concerns from alumni that LMU was losing its Catholic identity. 

Given this history and mission, it is surprising to read the Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination’s current “Message from the Director”, a screen shot of which you can find below. It reads, 

“The future is interdisciplinary. As a community, we are asked to embrace and promote a new surge of creativity in the sciences and the arts, so that this surge may extend into all areas of human activity. Not only the sciences and the arts are sacramental but also, they share a common creative process. Everything is in a constant process of evolution and change. The developments that are made in one area may sometimes have serious consequences for the foundations of theories and concepts in other areas. Each problem produces an energy that seeks to be solved with a new idea. But rather than looking for something truly fundamental, we often attempt to modify a problem without disturbing the underlying infrastructure. ACTI looks to promote unforeseen collaborations and unexpected ideas in new common grounds, like in a vibrant Academy of the Core. Such is our challenge in times of major distress but also of great opportunity.”

You’ll note that this message, aside from the word ‘sacramental’, has nothing whatsoever to do with anything Catholic. Likewise, the programming this semester (see screenshot below) entitled “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters” has nothing whatsoever to do with Catholicism.  

All this is less surprising, when you look at the Director of the Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination’s curriculum vitae which I have attached for your convenience to this message.  The word “Catholic” appears nowhere in his 11 page CV.

Just to be clear, for all we know, the Director of the Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination may be a daily communicant who always carries a rosary in his pocket. He may have the charity of St. Francis of Assisi, the missionary zeal of St. Francis Xavier, and the corporal works of mercy of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  Our complaint is not about his personal practice (or lack of practice) as a Catholic. Indeed, we don’t even know if he is a Catholic. But what is clear from his CV and his fall programing is that he is utterly unsuited to be the Director of the Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination.

Your appointment of this Director is yet one more example of mission drift, lack of due attention to identity issues, or maybe even deliberate derailing of LMU’s institutional commitment to Roman Catholicism. 

We respectfully request that someone who is well-versed in the Catholic intellectual tradition and who will provide programming with actual Catholic content be appointed immediately as the Director of the Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination. 

Sincerely,

Pedro Diaz-Rubin, LMU Alum 1994

To support this effort, please sign below and circulate the link to this petition https://renewlmu.com/ by emailing friends and posting on your social media.  LMU’s President can be reached at 310.338.2775

To admit that you made a mistake is to declare you are wiser now than you were before. In not giving due notice of the death of this LMU Jesuit giant, we are sorry not to have posted something about this kind, wise, and generous man in a more timely way. But the greatness of his character merits mention, especially on the eve of the two year anniversary of his death.

These words from the obituary of Jesuits West capture only a tiny fraction of all he did for people at LMU and for so many others:

Father Terrance Leon Mahan, SJ, university teacher, administrator and former provincial of the California Province, died of natural causes December 8, 2020, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 96 years of age and had been a Jesuit for 79 years, the most senior member of the Jesuits West Province in terms of years of service.

Fr. Mahan was born in Los Angeles on July 11, 1924, the son of Albert L. Mahan and Gertrude Tintle Mahan. He attended Loyola High School, and after graduating, entered the Jesuit novitiate at Los Gatos on August 14, 1941. Training took him to Gonzaga University for a philosophy degree, to the University of San Francisco for an MA in history, to Santa Clara University for a theology degree and finally, to the University of Wisconsin for a PhD in American history (1960). Along the way, he taught Latin at Loyola High School of Los Angeles (1948-49) and philosophy at Santa Clara University (1949-50). He was ordained a priest on June 12, 1954, in San Francisco.

Assigned to Loyola [Marymount] University in 1960, Fr. Mahan was in the classroom for only a years before being named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1961-69). He returned to the history classroom briefly before being named rector of the Jesuit Community (1973-76). He was named provincial of the California Province Jesuits for a term (1976-1982), overseeing the men and works of the Society in five states.

Upon completion of his term, Fr. Mahan became superior of Manresa Retreat House in Azusa, California, directing the staff and offering laymen’s retreats to hundreds of Southern Californians a year (1983-1990). After a year as assistant to the provincial, Fr. Mahan returned to the history classroom at Loyola Marymount University in 1991 and also served in Jesuit community administration. From 2007 to 2012 he was a popular spiritual director. In retirement at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Fr. Mahan was a kind and gentle presence in the community and his inspirational warmth, kindness and humor will be long remembered.

Amen.

Readers of these musings might like to know that another protest against President Sndyer was scheduled in the evening. The Board of Trustees meeting place was scheduled to be in University Hall. Following the meeting concluding at 5:00 p.m., the board members were scheduled to head up to the Jesuit community for a reception. Some students planned to protest President Snyder by having signs ready for the board members to see as they walked up to the Jesuit community.

Well, President Snyder got wind of this plan, and so at the last minute, had the Board of Trustees meeting moved to St. Robert’s Hall. The plan of the students got thwarted.

Fortunately, the students have friends in high places, learned of the new location, and moved the protest next to St. Robert’s in front of the Jesuit community. After the meeting concluded, President Snyder and all the Board members walked right by the students with their signs reading, “Stop Religious Discrimination at LMU” “Is LMU Catholic or Not?” “Does ‘Inclusivity’ include Catholics?” and “Everyone Deserves Respect.”

Some of the board members were smiling and friendly, saying things like “God bless you.” Some board members were less than fully pleased to see the students protesting President Snyder. But all the students were absolutely delighted.

You can check out the TikTok of a mom who lives right by LMU. She has documented atrocious behavior from LMU students, including a potential sexual assault. She called LMU who told her “this is not our problem“. Ignoring problems seems to be par for the course for President Snyder’s administration.

We are grateful to the folks who braved the early morning weather to join us in protesting the failures of President Snyder in terms of Catholic identity. The Board of Trustees is getting the message that there is a serious problem of mission and identity at LMU. To all who joined us, thank you, thank you, thank you!

President Timothy Law Snyder has failed LMU. He has damaged its Catholic identity. We are having a rally to protest what President Snyder has done and what he has failed to do on Monday morning December 6th between 7-9 a.m. on the corner of Lincoln Blvd and LMU Drive near the LMU fountain. The LMU Board of Trustees is meeting that morning, and as they drive by us into LMU, we need to make them aware of the many failures of leadership in the administration of President Snyder.  (Some of you may want to stand outside the other entrance to LMU at the gate at the corner of Loyola Blvd and 80th near the LMU sign on Monday morning December 6th between 7-9 a.m.. That entrance may be used by a few board members.) We hope that the media will cover this event.

Please feel free to make and bring signs to protest President Snyder. Here are some ideas. “President Snyder, Renew LMU”  “Snyder Restore St Serra”  “Snyder Stop Religious Discrimination at LMU” “Snyder Restore Mission in BCLA” “Snyder Stop Pronoun Policing” “Snyder Needs to Stop Student Cyberbullying” “Tim, does ‘inclusivity’ include Catholics?”

Please tell your friends and bring your friends. We will see you by the fountain.

Catholic students on campus have been bullied, harassed, and even sent messages like, “we hope you die.” For example, consider the following post “Everyone bully the LMU republicans Instagram page pls [please]” from one LMU student against another group of LMU students:

The mother of two current LMU students wrote to President Synder about the harassment and bullying. President Synder ignored her concerns and did not reply to her letter. Maybe his version of “inclusivity” does not include faithful Catholics. Please find her letter below.

Dear President Snyder,

As the mother of two current students at Loyola Marymount University, I am appalled at the cyber-bullying that occurred toward a group of pro-life LMU students. In opposition to the Planned Parenthood fundraiser, a small group of pro-life LMU students chose to table on campus a few days before the event. A photo of the group was posted on Instagram by a comedic account which harshly ridiculed the group of pro-life students. What followed were over 200 comments on this photo from LMU students. A number of the comments were vile and hateful in content, some even ridiculing the appearance of the pro-life students and mocking them. This is cyber-bullying. Pro-life students are already a minority on campus. Should Catholic and pro-life students be afraid to share their personal views?

Your office was made aware of this incident through our previous letter, but we received no response.

LMU students should be held to a level of decorum which respects free speech and insists on acting civilly and respectfully. We understand disagreement and debate, for these are fundamental aspects of free speech, especially on a college campus. However the ridicule and cruelty which occurred through this Instagram post is unacceptable. Our children that attend LMU have a personal attachment to the pro-life issue as children of an adopted mother. They have been raised in Catholic doctrine to respect life from conception to natural death.  As a Catholic university, LMU must protect its Catholic students just like any other students, and in this egregious example LMU has not protected these students. 

How will the administration respond to this instance of vile and hateful ridicule against Catholic pro-life students? We implore the administration to stand with its Ignatian values and protect students of all beliefs. This protection must extend to those with beliefs in the minority. Only then will the university’s mission statement be achieved. In closing, LMU is a Catholic university. Do Catholic students receive the same protection as other students at LMU? We pray that they do. We hope moving forward that the administration takes action to ensure that all students, yes even Catholic pro-life students, are protected, respected, and considered a viable part of this Catholic university.

Sincerely,

A Highly Concerned LMU Mom (name withheld to prevent further bullying of her children currently at LMU)

To support this effort, please sign below and circulate the link to this petition https://renewlmu.com/ by emailing friends and posting on your social media.  LMU’s President can be reached at 310.338.2775

LMU has announced the death of Fr. Bill Fulco:

[T]he Rev. William J. Fulco, S.J., a Jesuit priest and the retired National Endowment for the Humanities Chair of Ancient Mediterranean Studies, passed away on Nov. 28, 2021, of a longtime illness at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 85 years old.

Father Fulco joined LMU in August 1998, and through his retirement in 2019, he established himself as a scholar, teacher, curator, mentor, and raconteur. A popular teacher, Father Fulco’s courses covered an impressive range of topics: “God and the World of Ancient Israel”; ancient religions; music culture in ancient Palestine; ancient Near Eastern languages; Near Eastern archaeology; biblical archaeology and Old Testament studies; and classical numismatics. He traveled the world exploring those subjects, and he made archeological travel available for LMU students, annually sponsoring digs across the globe through his NEH funding. In 2007, LMU recognized him with the President’s Fritz B. Burns Distinguished Teaching Award, one of the highest honors bestowed on faculty by the university.

Father Fulco founded LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts’ Archaeology Center to study and display the collected and preserved museum-quality artifacts he acquired during his travels. His scholarship in the Aramaic language led him to be the advisor for the film “The Passion of the Christ.” 

He also advised on the films “The Nativity Story” (2006) and “Jesus VR: The Story of Christ” (2016), and the television documentary series “Ancient Aliens” (2010-13). Father Fulco worked extensively with the Pontifical Biblical Institute Museum in Jerusalem and made a transformative impact through his work with Alcoholics Anonymous, speaking at retreats across the United States.

He was the classic Jesuit academic, equally at home on an archeological dig as in the classroom. Father Fulco embraced, with his characteristic animated joy, whatever project lay in front of him. He was a devoted member of LMU’s Jesuit Community, a highly engaged faculty advisor, and he remained connected with his former students over the years, always present to celebrate sacraments and offer advice. His contributions and impact inspired the formation of the Father Fulco Balanced Living Scholarship, reflecting his work over the years with Sigma Phi Epsilon and benefiting first-year students.

A native Angeleno, Father Fulco was born in the Leimert Park area, graduated from Loyola High School and joined the Society of Jesus in 1954. He was ordained in 1966. Father Fulco earned his Ph.D. in Near Eastern languages and literatures from Yale University. He earned his B.A. at Santa Clara University and his M.A. at Gonzaga University. He also held a Licentiate of Sacred Theology and Master of Sacred Theology from the Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley, California. 

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

We are grateful to the hundreds of people who signed our petition to restore the statue of St. Junípero Serra to a place of honor on campus. We are also impressed by the thoughtful comments and messages that we have conveyed to President Snyder, Archbishop Gomez, and other important members of the LMU community. 

An article in the Catholic News Agency and in the National Catholic Register recently wrote:

“The statue dates back to the 1990s, when it was placed outside the campus library as a gift of William H. Hannon, a Catholic philanthropist and passionate admirer of Serra. Hannon was a major benefactor of the campus, an honorary trustee, and regent emeritus. Many campus buildings are named for him at the university, which claims affiliation with both the Society of Jesus and the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary.” 

Claims is exactly the right word, but only when convenient.

LMU was built with the money of Catholic donors and parents. President Snyder wants to keep what is convenient (the buildings, the donor base, the cash) and reject what is inconvenient (the statue, the BCLA mission statement, anything Catholic which is contrary to woke ideology). 

The article continues:

“In a Nov. 24 statement to CNA, the university said: ‘In summer of 2020, the statue of Rev. Serra on LMU’s Westchester campus was removed to conduct repairs. When the campus reopened from the pandemic in fall of 2021, the university convened a task force to invite feedback from the community and to develop recommendations on future plans. No final decisions have been made, and the university remains committed to a thoughtful process of open dialogue.’”

Those on campus who want to ban the statue consider it a symbol of tyranny, oppression, and racism whose presence is “triggering trauma” for students rather than providing “a safe and welcoming place” for everyone on campus. 

This argument for removing the statue of St. Junípero Serra applies even more forcefully to Sacred Heart Chapel. The beautiful chapel is built in the Spanish Mission style.  But according to woke ideology, the Spanish Missions were expressions of European colonial oppression, racism, and white supremacy. The Chapel is even painted white, a blatant attempt to glorify white supremacy and to marginalize Black and Indigenous people of color. 

Since Sacred Heart Chapel is so much larger and more prominent than the Serra statue, the Chapel must be an even greater threat of “triggering trauma” for those who chose to come to LMU. If they go into the chapel, things go from bad to worse because right in the center of the chapel is a large crucifix. Think of the oppressive symbolism that the crucifix entails for Jewish students whose ancestors suffered pogroms, Muslim students who ancestors suffered under Christian crusaders, and Protestant students whose ancestors suffered under the Spanish inquisition. And what about the atheists on campus? Non-believers showed us what they thought of Catholic places of worship when during the Reign of Terror they took down the crucifix and turned the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris into a storage warehouse. They also knew exactly what to do with priests and other Catholics who stood in the way of their pursuit of utopia. These Catholics got to experience a new invention named after Joseph-Ignace Guillotin. Now that’s moving beyond words to taking action for Liberty, Equity, and Inclusivity!  So, if we are to be consistent advocates for inclusive, non-triggering “safe spaces,” we should remove the crucifix immediately and then before Easter, at the latest, demolish Sacred Heart Chapel or at least rededicate it to Michel Foucault.

Apparently, some people who chose to come to a Catholic university hate Catholic symbols. They won’t feel “safe and included” until everything they dislike about Catholicism is removed from their sight.  Should we make our “campus a safe and welcoming place” by means of removing every last vestige of Catholic identity? Should a Jewish university scrub itself clean of every Jewish symbol to avoid traumatically triggering those who choose to come to a Jewish university? 

On the other hand, maybe those who are triggered by Jewish symbols at a Jewish university should check themselves for latent anti-Semitism.  And maybe those who come to a Catholic university and are triggered by Catholic symbols should check themselves for implicit bias or the virus of woke ideology.

LMU’s administration under President Snyder is institutionally committed to Roman Catholicism when fundraising with donors, recruiting students with parents willing to pay, and appealing to alumni. 

LMU’s administration under President Snyder is institutionally committed to woke ideology when hiring administrators, recruiting professors, and fundraising for Planned Parenthood. 

LMU is Catholic when convenient. 

Dear President Snyder,

In the summer of 2020, after statues were taken down across the United States, your administration approved the removal of the statue of St. Junípero Serra that stood in the front of the Charles Von der Ahe Building, the former library.  We object to your action.

It is hard to believe that the statue was taken down in order to be repaired. An identical statue, also donated in 1992 by one of our greatest donors William Hannon, can be found in very good condition at St. Anastasia School, just one mile away from LMU. In any case, any repairs should be complete by now, a year and a half later. Nor was LMU’s statue taken down in order to prevent likely vandalism. Due to Covid, almost no one was allowed on campus until Fall 2021.

These symbols matter, and they are dearly treasured by the Catholic faithful. Moreover, as the essay, “Is Loyola Marymount University Losing its Catholic Identity?,” predicted,  “The final argument about religious identity will be about whether distinctively religious art should remain. A compromise will be struck whereby the pieces considered offensive—such as the central crucifix and the statue of Mary—are removed, but the stained glass windows remain intact, a silent reminder of a long lost tradition.” Your choice to remove this statue was one more step you have made towards LMU losing its distinctive identity and becoming just like any secular school.

With all due respect to some on campus who see things differently, the statue of St. Junípero Serra should be returned to a place of honor. The saint’s statue should be accompanied by exactly the same contextualization, historical perspective, and critical evaluation that accompanies all the other statues, plaques, memorials, and quotations in stone on campus from figures including Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr, Mahatma Gandhi, Bill Gates, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and the Virgin Mary. That is to say, none. For these figures, we do not publicly document their real or alleged sins, or the sins of those associated with them, near their sites of commemoration.

This consistent policy in how we treat statues on campus is particularly appropriate for St. Junípero Serra who recently completed the lengthy and rigorous examination process involved in becoming a canonized saint. In the words of Pope Francis, St. Junípero, “sought to defend the dignity of the native community, to protect it from those who had mistreated and abused it.” As Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco point out, St. Junípero “defended indigenous people’s humanity, decried the abuse of indigenous women, and argued against imposing the death penalty on natives who had burned down a mission and murdered one of his friends. At age 60, ill and with a chronically sore leg, Serra traveled 2,000 miles to Mexico City to demand that authorities adopt a native bill of rights he had written.”

Regardless of what any committee may recommend to you, we hope your decision about this statue does not further erode our Catholic identity. If a Planned Parenthood fundraiser can be held at LMU in Roski, certainly a statue of this country’s first Hispanic saint canonized by the first Hispanic Pope can be in a place of honor and respect at LMU. If you wish to have the statue placed inside, so as to lessen the likelihood of vandalism, it should be in a place of high visibility as it was before. We suggest putting it in Roski.

Yours truly,

Marcos Chavira, LMU Alum 1995

To support this effort, please sign below and circulate the link to this petition https://renewlmu.com/ by emailing friends and posting on your social media.  LMU’s President can be reached at 310.338.2775



President Snyder’s decision to approve the Planned Parenthood Fundraiser continues to draw attention from the media. For example, an article in the Washington Post (paywall free version here) quotes:

“[One student], who was raised Catholic but is not religious, said Loyola Marymount feels like an ‘unsafe campus to be on as a woman.’”

The idea seems to be that if LMU does not hold fundraisers for Planned Parenthood, then LMU is somehow threatening the physical well-being of women. This is hard to  believe. But maybe ‘safety’ means mental well-being, understood as feeling comfortable. But then all the pro-life students on campus were made ‘unsafe’ by the Planned Parenthood Fundraiser, since they were extremely upset by President Snyder’s approval of this event. 

Another article in the campus newspaper, the Loyolan says the following, “One held a sign, “If abortion is murder, masturbation is mass genocide.” Maybe a biology class next year will clear up this confusion for the student. It’s odd how the “We believe in Science” crowd forgets inconvenient scientific facts. The Loyolan article continues:

“It’s not just about abortion services, it’s [sexually transmitted disease] testing and treatment, contraception and most importantly cancer screenings and prevention,” said [another student].

Planned Parenthood doesn’t only do abortions. So what? A hitman doesn’t only do killings-for-hire. He may call his grandma every Sunday, play video games, and most importantly make a great pumpkin pie for his family every Thanksgiving. Do these other actions mitigate his killing-for-hire?

The Loyolan essay continues, “Promotional posters asked, ‘Confused on why students were allowed to call other students murderers?’ referencing the nature of the Nov. 5 protest.”  Confused is right. LMU’s Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT) comes down like a ton of bricks on anyone who shows any kind of bias against a member of the LMU community because of “someone’s actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity and expression, race, color, religion….”

We wonder if these students, and LMU itself, show equal concern for religious pro-life students at LMU on campus who have been bullied, harassed, and even sent messages like, “we hope you die.” For example, consider the following post “Everyone bully the LMU republicans instgram page pls [please]” from one LMU student against another group of LMU students:

Will LMU administrators hold this student and others who are harassing and bullying Catholic students accountable?  Will LMU’s Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT) swing into action and public condemnation? Will President Snyder send an email to the entire LMU community decrying attacks on Catholic students on campus? I wouldn’t bet on it.

Dear President Snyder,

Several years ago, an essay entitled, “Is Loyola Marymount University Losing its Catholic Identity?” made this prediction, “In order to reflect what is really happening in the university, mission statements will have to be altered by deleting words such as ‘the service of faith’ and ‘commitment to Roman Catholicism’ from university and college mission statements. Deletion of these few lines will have no effect on the day-to-day running of the university, as they had no effect for years previously.” 

Unfortunately, this has already happened. Please compare the following mission statements.

“The Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts (BCLA) embodies the wider University goals of liberal education and commitment to Roman Catholicism and the Judaeo-Christian tradition. The curriculum in the College liberates the mind, nourishes the spirit, and cultivates creativity for the challenges of today and tomorrow. Its courses, therefore, are at the heart of the University’s core curriculum for all undergraduates.” (LMU Bulletin 2014-15, p.49)

Under the leadership of Dean Robbin Crabtree, who served on the advisory board and media-relations committee for Planned Parenthood, the Mission Statement of the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts changed to this:

“BCLA is the oldest and largest school at LMU and the liberal arts is at the heart of the LMU undergraduate education for all our students. We have 25 degree programs and 31 minors that will help you sharpen your intellectual capacity, gain deep content knowledge, and practice the marketable skills–such as critical thinking, writing, diversity awareness, and teamwork–that are highly valued by employers. In fact, the overwhelming majority of employers prefer to hire people who demonstrate the outcomes from a liberal arts education. Liberal arts graduates have similar peak earnings as business and pre-professional majors, and are more likely to pursue graduate degrees” (LMU Bulletin 2015-2016, p.57)

We write because we want you to restore the missing language of a “commitment to Roman Catholicism and the Judaeo-Christian tradition.” 

More importantly, we want BCLA, and LMU more generally, to actually live out this stated mission and Catholic identity in its decisions. We need both words and deeds.

Sincerely,

George Cassar, LMU Alum 1987

To support this effort, please sign below and circulate the link to this petition https://renewlmu.com/ on your social media.  LMU’s President can be reached at 310.338.2775 and on twitter @LMUSnyder

Before Dean Crabtree

After Dean Crabtree

The Loyolan is reporting:

“LMU Women in Politics (WiP), a left-wing feminist registered student organization (RSO) on campus, wrapped up their fundraiser for Planned Parenthood held Friday, Nov. 5, which raised over $4,100 for the non-profit.”

“And it’s not even a major percentage of what Planned Parenthood does,” said [a] freshman civil engineering major [], a member of WiP [Women in Politics] who attended the fundraiser. “It’s a small percentage of what Planned Parenthood does, is abortions.”

This makes about as much sense as saying:

“And it’s not even a major percentage of what the Corleone Family does,” said a freshman Italian Studies major who attended the fundraiser. “It’s a small percentage of what the Corleone Family does, is killing-for-hire. Aren’t you forgetting they make great olive oil and run legitimate casinos? Michael is a war hero, for crying out loud! All people are loved and equal, so long as they are chosen and convenient for us. If not, well, we make them a deal they cannot refuse, to sleep with the fishes.”

If an LMU administrator, even an angry president says,  “You work for me!” and therefore you cannot speak in the way that you want to speak, or protest what you want to protest, this is contrary to LMU policy. If this happens to you, may we suggest that you point out to this administrator that both you and he work for Loyola Marymount University, and LMU claims to value free speech and the exchange of ideas.  He is an administrator at this university, not a dictator who can order members of the community not to speak.

Responses to President Snyder’s decision to approve the continuation of the Planned Parenthood Fundraiser continue to be published nationally and internationally. The Catholic Business Journal headline reads, “Courage students want the True Faith at Loyola Marymount: Students Restart Pro-life Group after Planned Parenthood fundraiser.” 

The Catholic News Agency reports:

When Loyola Marymount University student Megan Glaudini heard that her university was not stopping an on-campus fundraiser for Planned Parenthood, she felt “convicted” that she needed to do something. “Upon hearing about the Planned Parenthood fundraiser on campus, originally, I was just completely disgusted and embarrassed, and disappointed that the university would allow this to happen,” she told CNA in a phone call Nov. 6. “I took a while to kind of discern what I really wanted to do, what kind of action would even make a difference, and I really felt convicted and like I needed to do something,” she said. That “something” turned out to be resurrecting the long time, inactive pro life group, and planning a rosary rally before the Planned Parenthood fundraiser.

Vita, a student run pro-life organization, rose from the dead after years of inactivity. We wish them well. 

An essay about LMU entitled, “Catholic Colleges That are Not Catholic” gets a lot right, but gets something very wrong. LMU does want to be Catholic when it comes to talking to Catholic donors and parents. In fundraising and recruiting students, LMU embraces its Catholic identity. As a recent Covid inspired advertisement put it, “This past year, the LMU community has demonstrated how creativity and compassion—values central to our Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount identity—have been our North Star.”  On the other hand, in terms of student life, hiring faculty and administrators, and campus climate, LMU operates as any other secular school. So, a more accurate title of this essay about LMU would be “Catholic Colleges That Are Catholic When Convenient.” 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249519/loyola-marymount-student-reforms-pro-life-group-after-planned-parenthood-fundraiser

COURAGEOUS STUDENTS WANT the True Faith at Loyola Marymount: Students Restart Pro-life Group after Planned Parenthood fundraiser

As you may know, President Snyder authorized the continuation of the Planned Parenthood Fundraiser which took place last night on campus in Roski. A peaceful and prayerful protest also took place, led by students, and joined by LMU faculty, parents, alumni, donors, and some Jesuits.

The letter found below was sent to President Snyder on November 5 at 1:30 p.m. before the Planned Parenthood Fundraiser in a last ditch effort to persuade him to call off the event.  This letter was also sent to Archbishop Gomez, the Provincial of Jesuits West, and other important members of the LMU community.  Archbishop Gomez, in a rare move, publicly expressed “deep disappointment” at LMU’s decision.

At around 5:00 p.m., before the fundraiser at 7:00 p.m., LMU issued a press release that said, “LMU regrets the concerns this situation has caused our community members and Catholic partners.” How sincere can your regret be if you carry out the nefarious plan anyway? Imagine a wife who  discovers that her husband has a plan to cheat on her. She confronts him and begs him to break it off. He replies, “So sorry honey. I regret causing you and our children concerns. I remain firmly committed to the values of our marriage. Moving forward, I’ll try to do better.” He then goes and meets his mistress. Is this a man expressing true regret? More importantly, is he showing true regret in his actions?

LMU, apology not accepted.

———–

Dear President Snyder,

Please find attached the names of more than 2,750 people who have signed the petition at RenewLMU.com and more than 15,000 at LifeSite in the last few days. In response to the national and international media (please see links below), your spokesman Mason Stockstill told the press that, “LMU’s core principles, reflected in its decisions, are consistent with Pope Francis’ guidance.” If this were true, then this event would already be cancelled. I can hear Pope Francis now, “Open dialogue with everyone, yes. Fundraising for abortion, no.” The difference is obvious and enormous.

Your spokesman writes,  “The events, actions, or positions of student organizations, including Women in Politics, are not endorsed by the university. The fundraiser being hosted by Women in Politics is not a university-sponsored event.” This red herring makes no difference to Planned Parenthood nor to us. The money goes to Planned Parenthood regardless of whether the event is officially “sponsored” or “endorsed.” We object to the fundraising for Planned Parenthood, regardless of whether the fundraising is labeled as “sponsored” or endorsed.”

We also question explanations from university officials about a so-called compromise that gives Planned Parenthood all the money, publicity, and cooperation and gives those who object to the fundraiser a sentence on advertising that says that this event “shall not be construed as approval” by the university.   In reality, this disclaimer removes none of LMU’s complicity.  LMU administrators approved an event entitled “Fundraiser for Planned Parenthood.” They authorized use of Roski Dining Hall for this purpose. You personally have given your approval for this event to move forward on campus despite appeals from alumni, donors, students, and allies. Who needs the verbal fig leaf of “approval” when the event was in fact approved initially by LMU administrators and approved to move forward again by you?

We hope even now that you will make the right choice rather than the politically expedient choice.  Now is the time.

Sincerely,

Samantha (Stribling) Stephenson, LMU Alum B.A. 2011, M.A. 2016, M.A. 2018

Washington Post – https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/a-student-groups-planned-parenthood-fundraiser-draws-backlash-at-catholic-university/2021/11/04/e7609dba-3db6-11ec-bd6f-da376f47304e_story.html

Angelus – https://angelusnews.com/local/la-catholics/students-raise-alarm-over-planned-parenthood-fundraiser-at-lmu/

National Catholic Reporter https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/student-group-s-planned-parenthood-fundraiser-draws-backlash-catholic-university

Crux https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2021/11/planned-parenthood-fundraiser-to-go-ahead-on-campus-of-catholic-university/

EWTN – https://www.ewtn.com/tv/shows/ewtn-news-nightly (Nightly News Nov 3 coverage starts at 17 min 45 sec)

https://vietcatholic.net/News/html/272126.htm

National Catholic Register – https://www.ncregister.com/cna/why-is-a-planned-parenthood-fundraiser-being-held-on-the-catholic-campus-of-loyola-marymount-university

Our Sunday Visitor – https://osvnews.com/2021/11/03/a-catholic-university-is-hosting-a-fundraiser-for-planned-parenthood-yes-you-read-that-right/

Life Petitions – https://lifepetitions.com/petition/call-on-catholic-university-president-to-cancel-planned-parenthood-fundraiser

https://www.dailyadvent.com/news/38ab1e09b1b29a9e1f6f9c1198b356ac-A-student-groups-Planned-Parenthood-fundraiser-draws-backlash-at-Catholic-university

Breitbart – https://www.breitbart.com/education/2021/11/02/catholic-university-to-host-fundraiser-for-planned-parenthood/

Live Action – https://www.liveaction.org/news/catholic-university-planned-parenthood-fundraiser/

America Needs Fatima – https://americaneedsfatima.org/blog/how-to-do-a-rosary-rally

LifeSite News – https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pro-life-students-to-protest-catholic-universitys-decision-to-allow-planned-parenthood-fundraiser/

The Beauty of Life –  https://thebl.com/us-news/demand-that-los-angeles-catholic-university-fundraiser-for-planned-parenthood-be-canceled.html

PJ Media – https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/ari-j-kaufman/2021/11/01/decidedly-divisive-catholic-college-in-california-to-hold-planned-parenthood-fundraiser-n1528778

Christianity Daily – https://www.christianitydaily.com/articles/13823/20211103/catholic-university-receives-backlash-from-pro-life-advocates-over-plans-to-host-fundraiser-for-abortion-provider.htm

Daily Advent – https://www.dailyadvent.com/news/361d6ae8162bbc28a204358b771dbfa5-Catholic-University-to-Host-Fundraiser-for-Planned-Parenthood

Complicit Clergy – https://www.complicitclergy.com/2021/11/03/catholic-university-to-host-fundraiser-for-planned-parenthood/

Life News – https://www.lifenews.com/2021/11/02/a-catholic-university-is-hosting-a-planned-parenthood-fundraiser-and-alumni-are-not-happy/

TFP Student Action – https://tfpstudentaction.org/petitions/stop-planned-parenthood-fundraiser-at-loyola-marymount-university

Catholic News Agency – https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249499/why-is-a-planned-parenthood-fundraiser-being-held-on-this-catholic-campus

Religion News Service – https://religionnews.com/2021/11/04/loyola-marymount-university-protested-for-planned-parenthood-fundraiser-hosted-by-student-group/

California Catholic Daily – https://www.cal-catholic.com/loyola-refuses-to-back-down-on-planned-parenthood-fundraiser/

https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2021/11/05/jesuit-university-planned-parenthood-fundraiser/

Catholic World Report – https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2021/11/04/why-is-a-planned-parenthood-fundraiser-being-held-on-this-catholic-campus/

Creative Minority Report – https://creativeminorityreport.com/blog/2021/11/03/loyola-marymount-u-to-host-fundraiser-for-planned-parenthood/

EWTN Ireland – https://www.ewtnireland.com/why-is-a-planned-parenthood-fundraiser-being-held-on-this-catholic-campus/

Prolife Update – https://prolifeupdate.com/2021/11/02/alumni-furious-after-a-catholic-university-does-the-unthinkable/

https://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=52812

https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2021/11/05/loyola-marymount-planned-parenthood-fundraiser-backlash-241789

Dear President Snyder,

We  write to ask you to cancel Loyola Marymount University’s “Planned Parenthood Fundraiser” scheduled for November 5th at 7:00 p.m. in Roski Dining in University Hall. Founded by the eugenist and virulent anti-Black racist Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the United States and has been caught red-handed in the illegal sale of fetal tissues and has been complicit in sex trafficking.

As Jesuit Pope Francis said last month, “Is it right to eliminate, to take a human life to solve a problem? Is it right to hire a hitman to solve a problem? That’s what abortion is.” We hope you see through rationalizations that ‘Planned Parenthood does more than just abortions.’ The mafia also produces olive oil.

Alternatively, we suggest that LMU Women in Politics, the group sponsoring the fundraiser, might select a more worthy recipient of funds, one that more effectively supports women’s dignity and whose primary purposes are not at odds with the Catholic Church. Selecting Planned Parenthood as a recipient for fundraising on a Catholic campus is decidedly divisive. A fundraiser in support of an organization that affirms rather than undermines the dignity of women would be an opportunity to build bridges, bringing together people from all sides of the table in support of women’s advancement.

This LMU event is not an academic debate but a fundraiser. As such, LMU is making an in-kind donation to the nation’s largest abortion provider. President Snyder, please take action now to prevent an egregious violation of LMU’s Jesuit, Catholic identity. 

Sincerely,

Samantha (Stribling) Stephenson, LMU Alum B.A. 2011, M.A. 2016, M.A. 2018

@sstephenson614

To support this effort, please sign below and circulate the link to this petition https://renewlmu.com/ on your social media.  LMU’s President can be reached at president@lmu.edu 310.338.2775 (voice) 310.338.2766 (fax) and @LMUSnyder

LMU has announced:  

“National Endowment for the Humanities Chair of Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Bill Fulco, S.J., retired after nearly 20 years at LMU. Scholar, teacher, curator, mentor, raconteur are among the roles Father Fulco has played since he joined the faculty in 1998. Among his many accomplishments, Father Fulco collected and preserved a museum-quality collection and founded the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts’ Archaeology Center, which enhances the educational experience of our students.

A popular teacher, Father Fulco’s courses covered a broad range of topics: God and the world of ancient Israel; ancient religions; music culture in ancient Palestine; ancient Near Eastern languages; Near Eastern archaeology; biblical archaeology and Old Testament studies; and classical numismatics. Father Fulco has traveled the world exploring those subjects, and more; he also made archeological travel available for our students, annually sponsoring digs all over the world through his NEH funding. In 2007, LMU recognized him with the Fritz B. Burns Distinguished Teaching Presidential Award, one of the highest honors bestowed on faculty by the university.

His acclaimed wit made him a sought-after speaker for gatherings of intellectuals, parents, and friends of the university. Father Fulco was the Aramaic language adviser for the film “The Passion of the Christ.” Father Fulco was born in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles, graduated from Loyola High School, and joined the Society of Jesus in 1954. He was ordained in 1966. Father Fulco earned his Ph.D. in Near Eastern languages and literatures from Yale University. BCLA welcomes Prof. Caroline Sauvage to her new roles as NEH Chair and Director of the Archaeology Center, and thanks and honors Bill for his significant and impactful contributions to our community.”

We wish Fr. Fulco a wonderful retirement, and we hope that God blesses him for all his good work with so many LMU students, faculty, and staff.

This article from the Loyolan reported on what took place:

Padre Pio Society, a Catholic group on campus, placed posters on campus displaying a pro-life message on Monday, Oct. 2. The posters were down a few days later by students on campus.

Some students expressed disapproval of the message as the posters are similar in imagery and style to the posters put up by RESILIENCE and MEChA in protest of President Trump’s immigration policies. The Padre Pio Society poster reads “Don’t abort my fellow humans #NoHumanBeingIsIllegal #AbortionIsAnImmigrationIssue” while the RESILIENCE poster reads “Don’t deport my friends #NoHumanBeingIsIllegal.”

“Yeah we’ve been scrambling to take [the posters] down, Chris Lorenzo did like three buildings,” according to a Facebook page appearing to belong to senior women and gender studies major Cass Vitacco, who commented on a post of the pro-life posters.

The RESILIENCE Facebook page posted a statement the following day stating that while they supported the expression of free speech, they had no part in making or posting the posters.

Delano Perera, a senior theology and philosophy major and president of Padre Pio Society, said the posters were posted to express the Catholic Church teachings that lives of the unborn are important, and that there was no malicious thought behind the posters.

“Everyday over 1,000 babies are put to death because of abortion, and we wanted to bring awareness to this evil,” said Perera. “I […] and many of our group members come from migrant families. Some of them will be affected by DACA. We care for our migrant brothers and sisters as we care for our unborn brothers and sisters.”

Perera also said that posters with a similar message were posted last year, but were also taken down within two days.

“After engaging in conversation with other students, I have been deeply troubled by the general response to these posters,” said Shannon Hayes, a senior classics and archaeology and modern languages double major and a member of Padre Pio Society. “They were meant to draw parallels between two serious human rights issues; unfortunately, they were viewed as divisive.”

Hayes says, in the future, she hopes to work with other students and alumni to create original pro-life art to be displayed at LMU.

Some students, however, viewed the posters as a form of plagiarism and used the efforts of the RESILIENCE and MEChA students without communicating effectively first.

“I first saw the posters […] and my immediate reaction was anger,” said Paige Prevost, a senior English and film and TV production double major. “It felt like capitalizing off a movement for one’s own gain. It didn’t feel like solidarity.”

Prevost later communicated with Hayes via Facebook, who explained the original intention behind the posters. However, Prevost, who identifies as pro-life and Catholic, still believes the use of RESILIENCE’s original design in the pro-life poster and hashtags co-opts the immigration movement in a divisive and alienating way.

[One professor] criticized LMU’s lack of retribution for those who took down Padre Pio’s posters, and questions the University’s policy of free speech for ideas that some people may dislike.

“Rather than engage the argument that all human beings deserve basic rights, the critics of pro-life view attempt to stifle the free exchange of ideas … If ‘pro-choice’ people are so confident in the truth of their view, why do they need to silence those who disagree?”

A faculty survey in 2014 revealed that “Conservative Catholics feel they are in an environment that is hostile to what they feel are true Catholic values.”

According to this survey, only 24 percent of those who took the survey identified as Roman Catholic.

“Our group members have been called names and mocked for standing up for Church teaching,” Perera said. “Being a Catholic is not easy, but Jesus said we must pick up our crosses and follow him. If my cross is to be ridiculed by my peers and professors then that is what I must do to follow Christ.”

Recall that just last year, a Catholic employee who removed LGBT signs was accused of a “hate crime”, denounced publicly, and subject to investigation by the Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT).   Now Catholic students are saying they are harrassed, their signs taken down, and their pro-life message censored. Will President Synder defend these students with the same vigor, energy, and public visibility that he showed last year in defending people at LMU with messages opposed to Catholic teaching? Does mocking and naming calling not matter if it is against pro-life Catholic students? If “all are welcome,” Catholics at a Catholic university sharing a Catholic message should not be silenced, harassed, or made to feel like second-class citizens.

A terrific LMU student organization, the Padre Pio Society, is planning a public rosary on Saturday, October 14th in honor of the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima.  The students will meet at 12 noon in Alumni Mall on the grassy area between the VDA building and the fountain (Foley Pond).  They invite alumni and friends to join them for this rosary during Respect Life Month.

Fr. Thomas Rausch S.J. began his teaching career at LMU in 1967.  A prolific author, Fr. Rausch holds an endowed professorship as T. Marie Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology. Fr. Rausch has also served LMU as the Director of Campus Ministry, Chair of the Theological Studies Department, Associate Dean of the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, and Rector of the Jesuit Community.

Fr. Robert Caro, S.J. retires this semester as Vice President for Mission and Ministry.  Before coming to the upper administration in 2006, Fr. Caro spent 30 years as a member of the English faculty, teaching, among other courses, Shakespeare, the Poetry of Meditation, and Women in the Bible. His research and publications focused on the Jesuit poet G.M. Hopkins and on links between the Ignatian Rules for Discernment and characterization in Shakespeare.

We commend these two Jesuit priests for their generous service to so many LMU students as well as to innumerable faculty and staff. Combined, they have given the University more than 80 years of service. May God richly bless them for all the good work that they have done, and may God grant them many golden years of healthy and happy retirement.

Since the time of Father Thomas P. O’Malley, S.J., the President of LMU has sponsored a week-long summer seminar for faculty to help them gain a deeper understanding of the Catholic character of LMU. This annual event, sponsored since 1996, once provided a collegial setting in which to explore an aspect of LMU’s ethos as a Catholic, Jesuit-Marymount university.  It was one of the few institutionally provided opportunities for LMU faculty to better understand and explore the distinctive Catholic mission and identity of the university. 

President Snyder has canceled this program for 2017.  With fewer and fewer Catholic professors, and more and more signs of loss of Catholic identity, LMU needs programs like the Summer Institute now more than ever. Under President Snyder, LMU’s Catholic identity is moving from the magis to the minus.

In response to events on campus, LMU President Timothy Law Snyder ordered, “Facilities Management to create additional all-gender restrooms.”  As the Loyolan reported, “The Student Housing Office replaced the traditional signs that depict a man and woman on eight different individual-use bathrooms at the beginning of August in the Leavey apartments, McKay Hall, Tenderich apartments and the Doheny, Desmond, Rosecrans and Whelan freshmen residence halls.”  In the words of one student, “This is big, not just for [LGBTQ+] students, but for all LMU students. If one group feels more included — if they feel they are more a part of the LMU community — that will strengthen LMU as a whole.”

One group who feels more excluded as a result of President Synder’s action are the LMU students, faculty, donors, and alumni who agree with Pope Francis who has repeatedly urged that people accept the goodness of their bodies as created male or female.  Rather than following the lead of Pope Francis and urging students to “accept the body God gave them,” President Snyder has decided to institutionally support what the Pontiff calls “gender ideology.” For now, however, it remains the case that “The University is institutionally committed to Roman Catholicism” when it comes to appealing to parents of prospective students, asking alumni for donations, and promoting LMU in PR campaigns.

On January 23, 2017, on  Facebook, LMU’s Department of Sociology issued a statement  claiming, “OB-GYNs have never heard of babies being ripped ‘out of the womb in the 9th month on the final day’ unless a Cesarean section is being performed (the rare terminations that occur at or after 21 weeks are due mostly to serious fetal abnormalities).”

Here is a small sampling of OB-GYNs and abortionists who have heard of babies being ripped out of the womb on their last day in utero, not for the purpose of saving their lives in Cesarean section but for the purpose of killing them.  Let’s start with this footage in which abortionist Laura Mercer indicates what takes place in late term abortion.

In this video, OB-GYN Dr. Anthony Levatino who has performed thousands of abortions describes how abortions take place in the last trimester of pregnancy.

The evidence indicates that late-term abortion does involve ripping the human being in utero from the womb piece by piece.

In the United States, drunk driving accidents take the lives of more than 9,000  human beings per year. Such deaths are far too common and so can hardly be said to be rare. In the United States, late term abortions take the lives of more than 12,000  human beings per year, hardly rare.

Nor is LMU’s Sociology Department accurate in claiming that these second and third trimester abortions are mostly performed because serious fetal abnormalities.

In her article “Why do women get late-term abortions?” Sarah Terzo notes:

A study in 2006 in Perspectives of Sexual and Reproductive Health, a publication of the Alan Guttmacher institute, which has been affiliated with Planned Parenthood throughout its history, conducted a study of hundreds of women who had second-trimester abortions (the second trimester ends at 27 weeks). It came up with the following results:

68% had no pregnancy symptoms

58% Didn’t confirm the pregnancy until the second trimester

45% had trouble finding abortion provider

37% unsure of date of last menstrual period

30% had difficulty deciding on abortion

The study sample did not contain a single case of abortion for health reasons.

We applaud LMU’s Department of Sociology for its opposition to “ableist discrimination” against human beings with disabilities. But we call on the Department to be consistent in this opposition rather than engage in selective moral outrage.  If all human beings deserve respect regardless of disability,  human beings in utero with abnormalities deserve respect.

LMU’s Department of Sociology Statement continues, “Worth noting is that women’s indisposable contributions to the global and US work force and to higher education would not be possible without full control of their reproductive and other forms of health.”

The new-speak euphemism “reproductive rights” attempts to conceal the reality of abortion. Once a human being is actively self-developing towards maturity in utero, reproduction has already successfully taken place. Abortion is not about reproduction, but about killing the human being who has been reproduced.  Abortion, particularly late term abortion, endangers the woman’s health (for example, by increasing the likelihood of ectopic pregnancy) and always destroys the health of her son or daughter.

Is LMU’s Department of Sociology correct that abortion, particularly late term abortion, is necessary for women to flourish? In Ireland, abortion is almost entirely illegal. As Ross Douthat noted in The New York Times, “Meanwhile, international rankings offer few indications that Ireland’s abortion laws are holding Irish women back. The country ranks first for gender parity in health care in a recent European Union index. It was in the middle of the pack in The Economist’s recent “glass-ceiling index” for working women. It came in fifth out of 135 countries in the World Economic Forum’s “Global Gender Gap” report. (The United States was 22nd.)” Indeed, Ireland has already had its first female president, but the United States (with its radical abortion laws) is still waiting.

Alternative facts, falsehoods, ignoring peer reviewed evidence in scholarly journals, concealing euphemisms are not bad ways of describing the defense late-term abortion provided by LMU’s Department of Sociology.

Below, you can find the full text of the Department’s statement as found on Facebook.

Great kudos to LMU for inviting Bishop Robert Barron to give the annual Cassasa Lecture. Bishop Barron will deliver a free, public lecture on “Beauty and Evangelization” on Tuesday, January 24, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. in Roski Dining Commons, University Hall. 

The Most Reverend Robert E. Barron is the Episcopal Vicar of the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.  Bishop Barron received a M.A. in Philosophy from The Catholic University of America in 1982 and a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Institut Catholique de Paris in 1992. He is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and the host of “The Pivotal Players” and “CATHOLICISM,” a groundbreaking, award-winning documentary about the Catholic faith which aired on PBS. A #1 Amazon bestselling author, Bishop Barron has published numerous books, essays, and articles on theology and the spiritual life. He has also appeared on several media outlets including NBC, PBS, FOX News, CNN, and EWTN.  Bishop Barron’s website, WordOnFire.org, reaches millions of people each year. Next to Pope Francis, he is the most-followed Catholic leader on social media. His regular YouTube videos have been viewed over 18 million times. Bishop Barron’s pioneering work in evangelizing through the new media led Francis Cardinal George to describe him as “one of the Church’s best messengers.”

Not only did Bill Clinton deliver the commencement address, but he also received an honorary doctorate from LMU.   Fr. Allan Deck, S.J., rector of the LMU Jesuit Community defends this decision as follows, “LMU, precisely because it is a Catholic and Jesuit University, seeks to follow the inspirational leadership of Pope Francis in promoting a culture of encounter that requires an openness to meet people cordially where they are rather than negatively in a judgmental way.”

Fr. Deck’s defense of violating the teaching of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, as noted earlier, attacks a straw man.  While it is true that a culture of encounter requires an openness to meet people cordially where they are, it does not require inviting them to give a commencement address nor does it require giving them an honorary doctorate.  Indeed, Pope Francis’s particular emphasis on the authority of local conferences of bishops does not exonerate but exacerbates LMU’s action.  If Pope Francis is right that abortion is a “crime” and an “absolute evil,” surely we must, with respect, disagree with Fr. Deck.

Encountering and dialoguing with those who facilitate serious injustices is one thing.

Celebrating and honoring them, in the highest manner institutionally possible, is quite another.

Among the most notable recent retirements at LMU, Dr. James Hanink stepped down after decades of service.  A faculty colleague had this to say about him:

Professor James Hanink served since the 1970s at LMU, excelling especially in the classroom.  He assigned numerous essays for students to write and returned them promptly with oceans of red ink as suggested improvements for the next round.  His students reported that they were both challenged and edified by his teaching which stretched them to think more concretely about questions both metaphysical and practical.  His stories and jokes lightened the philosophical load.  Jim’s scholarly productivity was steady and focused on questions interesting to philosophers in the analytic tradition (such as Elizabeth Anscombe) and the continental tradition (such as Edith Stein).  With his colleagues, he generously read and commented on drafts of papers as well as seminar presentations.  Jim was well known, on campus and off, for his concern for the Catholic identity of LMU, especially as it related to issues of justice for human beings waiting to be born.  This concern for the most weak and vulnerable in the human family also manifested itself in terms of Jim’s personal involvement with the Mother Teresa’s sisters, the Missionaries of Charity, and Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker Movement. 

John Allen, Jr. is one of the most respected reporters on matters Catholic in the English speaking world.  Formerly of the National Catholic Reporter and more recently of the Boston Globe, Allen’s reporting is acclaimed, by liberals and conservatives alike, for its balance, objectivity, and fairness.  In the middle of a recent essay, Allen offered these words about LMU:

A widely read recent piece in Catholic World Report …raised sobering questions about whether LMU can, or will, remain “Catholic” in anything but name. …  [O]nly 24 percent of faculty at LMU are now Catholic, and they tend to be the oldest members of the faculty. The increasingly non-Catholic ethos on campus, [the author] argued, shows up in a variety of ways, and he predicted that if things continue unchecked, “the process of secularization will be completed within a generation.” To be clear, the essay was neither alarmist nor antagonistic, but a rather straight-forward reading of the situation.

The Cardinal Newman Society ran an article entitled, “Catholic Professors Claim Hostile Environment at Loyola Marymount.” This article draws on a Faculty Climate Survey which reports, “Conservative Catholics feel they are in an environment that is hostile to what they feel are true Catholic values.”  We have also heard from several former, current, and prospective LMU professors who believe that de facto litmus tests are used at LMU to exclude professors with Catholic religious beliefs. In some cases, these professors had the ‘wrong’ view (a Catholic view) on marriage. In other cases, they encountered a ‘red flag’ because of their opposition to abortion or because they were perceived as ‘too conservative’ in their religious beliefs. Catholics like these are warmly welcomed into the LMU community as donors, trustees, or parents paying tuition, but these Catholics experience a rather cool reception or outright rejection as professors.  We believe that professors with Catholic religious beliefs should be treated fairly in recruitment, hiring, as well as in appointment to committees, directorships, and endowed chairs at Loyola Marymount University.

During the month of October, Catholics in the United States celebrate Respect Life Month.  Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez called it a time of prayer and action to “defend the dignity of every human person, from conception until natural death.”

Roberto Dell’Oro, the Director of the Bioethics Institute at Loyola Marymount University, was recently quoted in the Orange County Catholic defending the use of undercover videos by the Center for Medical Progress in exposing Planned Parenthood’s grotesque trafficking in human body parts.

From the OC Catholic on August 10, 2015:

Dell‘Oro said that while it is always best to be above board in seeking the truth, there are instances when “a conscientious objection to morally unacceptable practices” can be justified.

“Throughout history, we have numerous examples of those who have lied or broken the law because they conscientiously objected to, and sought to expose, a deeper moral evil,” he said, citing those who hid Jews from the Nazis during World War II. “And I don’t see why this shouldn’t be the case here.”

In a related article in Catholic News Service dated July 31, 2015, Dell’Oro suggested Catholics acquaint themselves with “Donum Vitae” (“The Gift of Life”) and “Dignitas Personae” (“The Dignity of a Person”) issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Dell’Oro was selected as Director of the Bioethics Institute in 2013 after the university first considered two abortion advocates for the position. RenewLMU launched a petition drive that forced the university to drop the existing candidates. Shortly, thereafter, LMU hired Dell’Oro, a professor in LMU’s Theological Studies department. RenewLMU commends Dr. Dell’Oro for his vocal stance in defense of human life.

On March 27, 2015, Loyola Marymount University announced the hiring of its 16th President. Dr. Timothy Law Snyder, a lay Catholic, will replace David Burcham effective June 1st. Most recently, Dr. Snyder served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Loyola University in Maryland. More information about the presidential selection can be found on the LMU website.

RenewLMU congratulates Dr. Timothy Law Snyder on his new position. And we look forward to working with him to cultivate a vibrant Catholic identity at LMU.

We are hopeful that under Dr. Snyder’s leadership, LMU will effectively address the serious decline in the number of Catholic students and faculty. And we are optimistic that, as a Catholic, he will demonstrate a commitment to promoting the Catholic intellectual tradition in guiding students in their pursuit of truth and virtue.

The LMU Political Science Department is promoting a student internship opportunity with the non-profit organization Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF), a pro-abortion organization. The internship opportunity is posted on the Political Science Department website. Led by long-time abortion advocate Eleanor Smeal, the FMF, on its own website states, “Abortion is a necessity for millions of women worldwide, for their health, for their well-being, for their dreams of a better tomorrow.”

According to the internship posting, student interns working in the Los Angeles office of FMF will have the opportunity to work on the National Clinic Access Project, “the nation’s largest and oldest clinic defense team.” There LMU students can “research and collect data on anti-abortion violence directed at health care workers and patients; monitor anti-abortion websites and literature.”

No student internship opportunities with non-profit organizations dedicated to the protection of the unborn child could be found on the LMU Political Science Department website.

The Political Science Department Chair, John Parrish, is serving on LMU’s Presidential Search Committee at the request of Kathleen Aikenhead, Chair of the LMU Board of Trustees, to assist in the selection of LMU’s next President.

The link to LMU’s student internship posting can be found at: http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/politicalscience/studentopportunities/internshipopportunities/governmentpolitical/feministmajorityfoundation/

We recognize that authentic renewal at LMU will only occur with the assistance of Almighty God. Please pray with us the nine day novena for the intercession of Saint John Paul II beginning October 14, 2014 and ending on his feast day, October 22, 2014. Saint John Paul II cared deeply about the Catholic character of Catholic universities. His vision was laid out in the papal encyclical Ex Corde Ecclesiae which guides the goals and objectives of RenewLMU.

Oh, St. John Paul, from the window of heaven, grant us your blessing! Bless the Church that you loved and served and guided, courageously leading her along the paths of the world in order to bring Jesus to everyone and everyone to Jesus. Bless the young, who were your great passion. Help them dream again; help them look up high again to find the light that illuminates the paths of life here on earth. May you bless families; bless each family! You warned of Satan’s assault against this precious and indispensable divine spark that God lit on earth. St. John Paul, with your prayer, may you protect the family and every life that blossoms from the family.

Oh St. John Paul, from heaven’s window, where we see you next to Mary, send God’s blessing down upon us ! Amen.

On October 6, 2014, President David Burcham announced that he will be resigning as President of LMU effective May 31, 2015. The Board of Trustees Chairwoman, Kathleen Hannon Aikenhead, announced that a search committee is already being formed and that a national search will be conducted to fill the vacancy. President Burcham’s departure presents an opportunity for the LMU Board of Trustees to fill the position with a Catholic, as required by Ex Corde Ecclesiae, who is committed to restoring LMU’s Catholic character. RenewLMU is hopeful that the search committee will be comprised of individuals equally as committed to this worthy goal.