Belleville News-Democrat
May 12, 2010
http://www.bnd.com/2010/05/12/1252426/st-louis-universitys-choice-for.html
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| St. Louis University |
St. Louis University's choice as the 2010 commencement speaker is the subject of great debate. One group of graduating seniors is calling for a change.
St. Louis University has chosen a Catholic leader, the Papal Ambassador to the United States to speak at Saturday's commencement. But some find the choice offensive.
The Vatican's "Apostolic Nuncio", Archbishop Pietro Sambi is set to speak Saturday. But when Sambi was announced as the university's choice Thursday one group of graduating seniors found the decision offensive.
The group, which includes Catholic, non-Catholic, straight, and same-sex students, points to news reports and says Archbishop Sambi verbally "attacked" a 2005 gay pride festival in Jerusalem. And they say Sambi verbally "attacked" a clergy abuse victim and protester in Washington, D.C.
"I think as a leader who is so high up, he needs to be held accountable for the things he does both in his Priestly duties and on the street walking," says Kristin Swanson, a graduating senior who is part of the group offended by the University's speaker choice.
The group is calling for the university to change speakers, to a nun who is already set to receive an honorary degree Saturday.
"Mary Antona Ebo, she's a Sister of St. Mary in the Catholic Church. She's a staunch supporter of human rights, especially in the African American Community," says Swanson.
Swanson and her fellow students have sent out emails, letters and created a Facebook page with hundreds of supporters.
They first tried contacting the University Administration, but as of Tuesday afternoon had not heard back.
Meanwhile another group of graduating seniors has launched its own Facebook page, supporting Archbishop Sambi as 2010 speaker, saying in part on their page, "His views and actions are in line with the Jesuit-Catholic identity of St. Louis University."
"I don't think that we need to be preventing people from speaking at commencement based on one possible thing that they did, based on one possible thing that they did when his overall body of work is obviously impressive," said Andrew Miller, a graduating Senior who is a supporter of Sambi speaking.
Via email a St. Louis University spokesman sent us the following statement on the matter Tuesday: "Saint Louis University President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., is extremely honored and very proud to have His Excellency, Archbishop Pietro Sambi as the University's 2010 commencement speaker."
Below is a citation about the Archbishop that will be included in this year's commencement book.
ARCHBISHOP PIETRO SAMBI APOSTOLIC NUNCIO TO THE UNITED STATES
For more than four decades, Archbishop Pietro Sambi has been one of the Vatican's most gifted diplomats. Truly an ambassador for peace and understanding, he has spent his life building bridges and bringing people together.
Born in the northern Italian town of Sogliano al Rubicone on June 27, 1938, Archbishop Sambi grew up with an affinity for history while dreaming of a life as a priest and professor. Fluent in English, Spanish and French, Archbishop Sambi holds doctoral degrees in theology and canon law. But shortly after being ordained a priest in 1964, God called him to a different path - one of service to the Church through diplomacy.
"A diplomat's mission is the creation of bridges," Archbishop Sambi once said. "Diplomats are human beings with our beautiful days and dark days, with our efforts to overcome ourselves and to be better. You can build bridges when you give of yourself and exchange truth."
Archbishop Sambi's illustrious career began in 1969 when he joined the Vatican diplomatic service with an assignment as an attache in the Apostolic Nunciature of Cameroon. Later, he would serve in the Nunciatures (or Apostolic Delegations) to Jerusalem, Cuba, Algeria, Nicaragua, Belgium and India. In 1991 he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia.
In 1998, Archbishop Sambi was named Apostolic Nuncio to Israel and Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine. As the Vatican's top ambassador to the Middle East, Archbishop Sambi worked to end violence and earned worldwide acclaim for bringing leaders of all faiths together. Rabbis, imams and bishops regularly sought his counsel. Archbishop Sambi encouraged them to move beyond generations-old disputes and find common ground in the promotion of peace.
Both Israelis and Palestinians regarded Archbishop Sambi as a courageous, uncompromising voice for peace. Both sides of the negotiating table described him as warm, charismatic and even-handed. True to his reputation as fair-minded but forceful, Archbishop Sambi was a strong critic of the anti-Semitism sponsored by some Palestinian authorities. At the same time, he denounced a wall built by the Israeli government to separate Israel from the Palestinian territories as "a shame to humanity."
"This region requires bridges, not walls," he said.
Archbishop Sambi's remarkable ability to transcend differences and build bridges was tested on April 1, 2002, when 200 armed Palestinians took control of the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, considered one of the most important holy places in Christianity. After a 42-day standoff between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces, Archbishop Sambi played a key role in its peaceful end, leading to the reopening of the shrine to the public.
During his time in the Middle East, Archbishop Sambi was also a passionate advocate for Catholics - a minority in that region of the world. He used his skills not only to aid his Church, but also to fight for the rights of all the Christian faithful to have access to the Holy Land.
His tireless efforts to secure peace in the Middle East earned him the Path of Peace Award from the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation in 2009.
After eight years of building bridges in the Middle East, Archbishop Sambi was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the United States in 2006. He serves as an ambassador for the Vatican in the world's fourth most-Catholic country and acts as a point-of-contact between the Catholic hierarchy in the United States and the Vatican.
In 2008, Archbishop Sambi hosted Pope Benedict XVI during his six-day visit to the United States. When Pope Benedict visited Ground Zero in New York, it was Archbishop Sambi's idea for the Holy Father to remain silent at the site of the former World Trade Towers - a show of solidarity with those who died and their surviving families and friends.
"There must be only silence and prayer here because not a single word will be enough to be convincing," Archbishop Sambi said. "Nothing will be adequate to touch the loneliness of those who died there and those who lost someone. Silence and prayer are what is required."
In addition to his diplomatic duties, Archbishop Sambi has two other passions: priestly formation and Catholic higher education. As Nuncio, he has involved himself in the formation of priests wherever he has served. Despite serving abroad for many years, he always kept a connection with Catholic universities in northern Italy. As Chancellor of Bethlehem University in the Holy Land he helped strengthen its Catholic identity and aided in the expansion of the university's ties with other Catholic universities around the world.
Outgoing and personable, Archbishop Sambi engages people wherever he goes. Israeli Franciscan Father David Jaeger once described him as having "a very great gift for making friends with people at every level, high and low, and for getting along and winning the confidence of everyone he meets."
- Clayton Berry, Director, University Communications, Saint Louis University
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