Pelosi and Sebelius are examples of Trinity's Catholic education, president claims

Washington D.C., May 19, 2009 / 21:29 pm

The President of Trinity University, Patricia McGuire, who at the school's Sunday commencement described pro-life critics of Notre Dame's decision to honor President Obama as "Catholic vigilantes” and "grand inquisitors," pointed to the pro-abortion politicians Nancy Pelosi and Kathleen Sebelius as good examples of the education provided by the Catholic university.

During her remarks at the Senior Luncheon on May 15, McGuire told the graduates of the Catholic university that "you will have a stunning opportunity to take a public leadership position that will also test your courage and conviction in ways you cannot imagine right now."

"When she sat in this very dining hall 47 years ago, I’m quite sure that Nancy D’Alesandro didn’t imagine that she’d be Speaker Pelosi, one of the most important political figures at this moment in our national history. When she sat here 39 years ago, I’m sure that Kathleen Gilligan never imagined that one day she’d be called Secretary Sebelius at Health and Human Services," McGuire surmised.

According to the Trinity University president, "what motivated each of these Trinity leaders was a passion to make a difference in the public square. I’m sure that each, on a daily basis, has had to deal with issues they never learned about here at Trinity --reform of the health care system, the need to bailout the banks, the challenge of restarting the economy, the perilous condition of social security, the use of torture as a covert national policy, the future of the Supreme Court, the acute and sustained pressures from both right and left to develop law and policy over the central issues of the beginning and ending of life itself."

"How do Nancy and Kathleen and our other graduates know how to work through these hugely complicated issues?" McGuire asked.

"The whole point of a Trinity education is NOT that you leave here on graduation day with all of the answers. Of course not. The whole purpose of this great educational enterprise is that you will know how to analyze the questions, recognize the questions that you must ask without apology; that you will know how to distinguish the truth from mere puffery or outright deceit; that you will have the courage to be the voice that shouts out when all others are silent."

"You will not always be right; you will make mistakes. But mistakes are the risk of a life of action; you are called to the life of action, of advocacy, of assertive leadership on behalf of your families, communities and nation," McGuire said.