Kansas City, Mo., Feb 17, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Catholic institutions should no longer invite speakers, who support abortion rights, to "address, give workshops, or otherwise make any presentation" at Catholic institutions in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, said Archbishop James P. Keleher.
The archbishop made this statement in the archdiocesan newspaper, The Leaven, Feb. 13. The day before, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic who supports abortion rights, spoke at the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth.
The governor was invited to speak about education and economic development as part of the Catholic school's Lincoln Lectureship series.
Strangely, only hours before, the governor and the archbishop appeared together at a news conference to rally support for affordable housing, reported the Associated Press.
However, in a statement published the next day, the archbishop said abortion is such an important issue that "it is imperative that our Catholic churches, schools and institutions make every effort not only to support the pro-life movement, but especially to ensure that the public understand our unequivocal stand on this issue.
"We must stand solidly behind the Gospel of Life," the statement said.