A rosary on a Catholic college campus should be no surprise. But one with the crucifix removed and replaced with an IUD, (inter-uterine device) is shocking. The desecrated rosary was used to decorate a poster announcing an abortion doctor’s talk at Seattle University, a Catholic Jesuit school. Such disrespect is an infantile way for abortion advocates to say: I hate your teachings, Catholic Church! And so, it only stands to reason that those who promote the killing of unborn babies would not respect anything sacred.

The student group, Seattle Nursing Students for Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, (NSSRH ) planned for abortionist Sara Pentlicky to speak on:, “Catholicism and Full Spectrum Reproductive Healthcare: One Physician’s Perspective.” An abortionist speaking on Catholicism is like a cannibal speaking on vegetarianism. They have no clue on the beauty of the Church's teaching on the sacredness of life and sexuality. The nursing group’s Facebook page reveals they too are delusional, thinking they can bring the sexual revolution into a church where the gates of hell shall never prevail.

The NSSRH mission is “to engage the university nursing students and support their interests in reproductive justice in order to promote a new generation of health providers who are prepared to protect and deliver full-spectrum reproductive and sexual health care as basic human rights.” What is this “human rights” of which they speak? The right to kill humans? This mouthful of mumbo-jumbo would merely be puffed up stupidity if not so lethal to the soul and to the unborn.

Change of Plans

Such speaking events happen far too often at Catholic schools that are more concerned with inclusiveness than Godliness. God does not include the devil in heaven so why should a college campus feel the need to do otherwise? As common as sacrilege has become on campuses, taking a rosary and substituting Jesus with an IUD …well, it was more than the Jesus and Mary-loving students could take.

In an email interview for the Register, John Ritchie, Student Action Director of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) explained, “Pro-life students on campus and beyond immediately voiced their opposition to the pro-abortion event, especially the sacrilegious fliers posted around campus that attacked the holy rosary in such a vile manner.”

As a result, Seattle University president, Fr. Stephen Sundborg retracted the Student Involvement Office’s approval to put up the posters, and ordered them taken down. Yet, the event was not cancelled; only postponed. In a message to the Newman Society on Feb. 25, Fr. Sundborg said that “the students involved in the planning will be looking to include additional viewpoints and perspectives before seeking to reschedule it."

“The right to life is settled truth and not up for grabs,” Ritchie stated. “Nor does the pro-life truth need to give ‘equal’ air time to Planned Parenthood and its pack of lies, especially on a campus that purports to be Catholic.” According to him, allowing Planned Parenthood on campus poisons the integrity of Catholic education. “That's why over 10,000 students and parents have signed TFP Student Action's online petition to Fr. Sundborg, urging him to cancel the entire pro-abortion event,” he said.

“When the enemies of God attack the rosary like that, they reveal what our best strength against the Culture of Death is: the recitation of the holy rosary,” Ritchie said. “As St. Padre Pio said, ‘The rosary is THE weapon.’ So, to win this culture war, we should recite the rosary with more fervor and fidelity, knowing that the forces of darkness will never prevail if we remain close to the Mother of God.”

Refrain from Hating

Msgr. John Esseff, a priest for over 50 years, and the author of Building a Kingdom of Love: The Triumph of the Sacred Heart in an interview with the Register, cautioned people against responding with hate towards people so confused “as to have minds that would conceive of something so wicked.” As an international retreat director to priests and the Missionaries of Charity, and a former confessor to Blessed Mother Teresa, Msgr. Esseff always stresses love and prayer as the best response to the evils of this world.

“It was meant to enrage us Catholics that have a devotion to Mary—to take something so beautiful as a rosary and crucifix and to desecrate it,” he said. But as disgusting as such an action is, Msgr. Esseff pointed out that an abuse of a human being is far worse is far worse than desecrating a rosary.

“Every human being is holy,” he said. “Every unborn child is beautiful and a creature of God. A rosary and sacramental mean so much to us, but it is far worse to desecrate human beings.

“I see the beauty of an unborn child.” Msgr. Esseff said. “To use a rosary and a crucifix as symbols in order to enhance the right of someone to desecrate a child, is plain, simple wickedness.” According to him, it makes no sense to hate people whose minds are that twisted by evil, and he hopes people will pray for them.

Nor does it make sense for a Catholic university to host an event that promotes wickedness. The fact that the pro-abortion sponsors would desecrate a rosary to advertise their event, clearly reveals what they are about. Just as the crucifix was taken from the rosary, so too are babies taken from their mother wombs. The pro-abortion groups have earned our revulsion, and now they need our prayers. What they don’t need is a podium at a Catholic university.