Originally published at National Catholic Register
Mary McAleese, the former president of Ireland, advocates for the expansion of abortion access and the attempted ordination of women.
An all-women’s Catholic college that was recently the center of controversy for attempting to admit male students who identify as female is facing a fresh round of concern over its commitment to Catholic teaching.
This time, St. Mary’s College in northern Indiana is being criticized by alumnae and current students for its plan to give a platform to a former Irish politician who is now devoted to overturning Church teaching as this spring’s commencement speaker.
Mary McAleese, who served as president of Ireland from 1997 to 2011, is set to address the graduating class of the small liberal arts school, which is located across the street from the University of Notre Dame.
A self-professed practicing Catholic, the 73-year-old Irishwoman has been a long-standing advocate for access to abortion and so-called same-sex “marriage.”
And since leaving politics, McAleese has devoted herself to pushing for radical changes in the Catholic Church, including the attempted sacramental ordination of women and the end of infant baptism.
Given her defiance of Church teaching, one group of St. Mary’s community members thinks McAleese is the
