Assumption University honours Stephen Lewis and Nino Ricci.

Windsor -- On February 13, 2005 a Catholic university in the diocese of London featured abortion advocate, Stephen Lewis, as a speaker at its 'Christian Culture Series.'

Assumption University is listed by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops as a member of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities in Canada. The chancellor of the university is Bishop Ronald P. Fabbro, and its president is Rev. Mario O. D'Souza C.S.B. Of the nine members of the board of governors, seven are Basilian priests.

As outlined by the series director, Rev. James N. Carruthers, the Christian Culture Series is intended to highlight speakers "who have made a significant contribution to the way we live, think, and relate to the world around us."

Lewis is a former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, and the former Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF. In his long political career, Lewis has placed himself unequivocally on the side of the culture of death.

In 1965, as an Ontario MPP, Lewis became the first politician in Canada to introduce a bill to legalize abortion.

In 1971, as the Ontario NDP leader, he promised to promote abortion access "as requested" and said he would challenge the federal government to remove abortion from the Criminal Code--a move the Toronto Star described as "the closest any party leader has come to agreeing to 'abortion on demand'."

At the same time, Lewis worked to ensure that abortion on demand would be an indispensable element in the NDP party platform. He wrote, "a woman's right to control her own body is an integral part of her fight to control her own life. Therefore, she must be able to choose whether or not she wants to bear a child."

In July of 2001, while working at the United Nations, Lewis alleged that the Catholic Church was complicit in the Rwandan genocide.

This is not the first time Lewis has been invited to speak at a Catholic institution. In March of 2001, Lewis was the keynote speaker for the annual convention of the Catholic Health Association of Canada (CHAC). Bishop James Wingle, who represented the Canadian bishops at the CHAC, expressed support for pro-lifers who were scandalized at the invitation.

The Vatican document on Catholic universities, Ex Corde Ecclesia, outlines that "any official action or commitment of the university is to be in accord with its Catholic identity." The university is called "a living institutional witness to Christ and His message, so vitally important in cultures marked by secularism."

The clergy and staff at Assumption University have yet to explain how lobbying for abortion on demand is consistent with promotion of Christian culture.

Catholics in the Windsor area are also perplexed by the decision to host Nino Ricci at the November 2004 Christian Culture series. Among the books written by the Italian-Canadian author is Testament, in which Ricci re-imagines the person of Christ through the monologues of Mary, Mary Magdalene, Simon, and Judas Iscariot. In this imaginary revision of the Gospel narratives, the Virgin Mary is said to have been raped by a Roman soldier. Jesus is, accordingly, a bastard. Mary Magdalene is said to have had sex with Jesus.

Just as clear as his attempt to shock readers, was Ricci's decision to retell the Gospel as an unbeliever. "I don't think he saw himself as the Son of God. I think that was a later overlay," Ricci once said in an interview.