Sacred Heart University to Name Building for Abortion Backer

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Mar 22, 2012   |   3:24PM   |   Washington, DC

Sacred Heart University (SHU), the second largest Catholic university in the Northeast, has announced it intends to dedicate a new building on campus to a pro-abortion Catholic politician.

The Cardinal Newman Society, a Catholic educational ewatchdog group, has the details. According to CNS’ Matthew Archbold:

The new building, named after former WWE CEO and Senatorial candidate Linda McMahon, was made possible by a $5 million gift from McMahon.

McMahon ran for Senate in 2010 and is currently running again in Connecticut. Although her 2012 campaign site doesn’t mention abortion at all, her 2010 campaign site tersely sums up her view on abortion, saying only, “I am pro-choice; however, I oppose partial-birth abortion and federal funding of abortions unless the life of the mother is at stake. I’m in favor of parental notification/parental consent legislation. “

She has also served on the Board of Directors of Sacred Heart University since 2004.

On the university’s website, Dr. John J. Petillo, president of SHU called McMahon “a leader in every sense of the word.”   McMahon reportedly said she was “extremely honored” to have her name on the building.

“I support Sacred Heart University because of my commitment to the students, to education and, most importantly, because I believe in the University’s commitment to excellence and its mission to shape graduates who know themselves, are rooted in faith and are committed to social responsibility as they go out into the world,” she said. “If I can set any kind of example for them, I have more than done my job.”

This isn’t the first time SHU has honored pro-abortion rights Catholic politicians.

In 2009, Bishop William Lori of the Bridgeport Diocese and chairman of the Board of Trustees of SHU, announced he would boycott the university’s Discovery Awards and Scholarship Dinner because it intended to honor Kerry Kennedy, a pro-abortion Catholic.   SHU touts on its website that its the “first Catholic university founded to be led and staffed by laypeople.”