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PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, March 22, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Bishop Thomas Tobin has written a letter to Providence College student Michael Smalanskas, commending him for his “courage” and denouncing the “reprehensible” treatment he’s received on campus for creating a bulletin board explaining Catholic teaching on marriage.

In a letter dated March 21, Bishop Tobin praised Smalanskas for his courage. Tobin’s ecclesiastical territory as the Bishop of Providence, Rhode Island includes Providence College.

“I admire and commend your courage in stepping forward to proclaim the teachings of the Church about Holy Matrimony,” he wrote.

The offending bulletin board

Tobin assured Smalanskas of his “admiration, prayers and blessings” and said he hopes to meet with the 22-year-old soon.

Church teaching on marriage is not “arbitrary,” Tobin wrote, and Smalanskas’ bulletin board “expresses [that] so clearly.”

Smalanskas told LifeSiteNews that he was “extremely grateful to Bishop Tobin for his letter.”

Michael Smalanskas

“To me, he did what a Bishop ought to do and that is to teach. The Bishop clearly articulated and reaffirmed the truth about marriage, while also reminding others that this truth is in no way homophobic or bigoted. He demonstrated what it means to be a true shepherd of souls and that is to speak the truth with love and clarity.”

Smalanskas is a Resident Advisor (RA) at Providence College, which is run by the Dominicans of the Province of St. Joseph. For his own safety, campus police had to move Michael to an undisclosed location in the middle of the night after other RAs began congregating outside his door in a threatening manner. They did this after he created in the residence hall where he works a bulletin board saying marriage is between a man and a woman. The board was repeatedly vandalized.

A cartoon showing Smalanskas being anally raped was placed on the bathroom mirror in his hall. Shortly after that, Vice President of Student Affairs Kristine Goodwin sent an email to student leaders encouraging them to attend an “anti-homophobia” march that was organized in response to the educational bulletin board, completely in line with Catholic teaching, that Smalanskas created. It’s unclear if Goodwin knew about the rape cartoon before she sent that email.

Providence College’s president, Father Brian Shanley, OP, hasn’t condemned the gay rape cartoon. Neither has any other administrator. Shanley released a letter saying “it belongs to a Catholic college to consider the views of those who disagree with the Church’s teaching” and suggesting such discussions belong in the “classroom” and “pulpit.” Tobin also sent a copy of the letter to Fr. Shanley.

Bishop Tobin “did what Fr. Shanley should have done a long time ago – denounce the hatred, unapologetically proclaim the Church's teaching, and reaffirm the mission of the college,” said Smalanskas.

Tobin’s letter also said Providence College is at a “crossroads and now has to make a conscious decision about which road to travel,” wondering if Providence College, abbreviated as PC, will become “p.c. – politically correct.”

Despite this being a Title IX issue now – and the college appearing to do nothing to stop the hostile sexual assault threat against Smalanskas – on Tuesday, March 20, all RAs on campus were gathered in a room and ordered to surrender their cellphones (presumably to ensure nothing could be recorded). This meeting was an opportunity for them to talk about how they “felt” about the Catholic bulletin board. Smalanskas told LifeSiteNews he left the meeting shortly after it began. His friends who remained inside say that one dean said they shouldn’t speak about someone who wasn’t there, but nevertheless the other RAs spent the rest of the evening trashing him and demanding he be fired.

Providence College has now told its RAs they are to post no more bulletin boards for the rest of the year.

READ: Catholic college won’t defend student threatened with gay rape for defending marriage

Smalanskas wrote Tobin a letter on March 4 explaining the situation as it began to unfold. In Tobin’s letter to Smalanskas, the bishop wrote, “It is so sad that, in response to your bulletin board posting, you have experienced ridicule and personal attacks, especially on a Catholic campus. I am pleased to note that a number of prominent Providence College professors, as well as the priest chaplains of the College, have now come forward to support you. Good for them!”

Bishop Tobin called what happened to Smalanskas “reprehensible.”

“It is truly unfortunate that in explaining our Faith, you have received such a negative and even reprehensible response, particularly at a Catholic college, one that is publicly committed to professing Catholic and Dominican values,” wrote Tobin. “As I have stated previously, I think we have the right to presume that those who teach or study at a Catholic school should accept, or at least respect, the stated identity, mission and fundamental teachings of the Faith. Otherwise, there are lots of other good options for higher education they can choose if they really feel threatened by or are uncomfortable with the teachings of the Church.”

“This was a clear wake up call from the local ordinary to the president of a college in crisis,” concluded Smalanskas. “Bishop Tobin challenged Fr. Shanley to act before it is too late and the school falls prey to the forces that have overcome too many of our Catholic colleges and universities.”

Tobin’s full letter, which his office delivered to Smalanskas via email, is available below: