Catholic University accepts NAACP chapter under condition of not promoting abortion

Washington D.C., Oct 12, 2004 / 22:00 pm

The president of Catholic University said yesterday that he will allow students to form a chapter of the NAACP on campus under the condition that they do not advocate issues that counter the teachings of the Catholic Church, reported The Associated Press.

Twenty students met last week with CU president Fr. David M. O'Connell and persuaded him to ask the student life staff to revisit the issue.

"We said all along we would be willing to revisit this issue when the students came back in the fall," said university spokesman Victor Nakas.

The university had denied an application to form the student chapter in April on grounds that other campus groups already met the needs of minority students. Administrators also opposed the national NAACP's promotion of abortion rights.

Law student William Jawando had filed the original application to form an NAACP chapter at the university.

He told the AP that the students want to talk about education, health care, voter registration and activism. Jawando assured CU authorities that the new chapter will refrain from advocating any issue in conflict with Catholic teachings.

Kweisi Mfume, president of the NAACP, told the AP his organization has no official position on abortion and that university officials misinterpreted the group’s support of a women's rights march last spring.