To Whom It May Concern:

On September 26, 2005, I attended Justin Cardinal Rigali’s lecture on Catholic Higher Education and the Church in the World of the Future: Reflections on the 40th Anniversary of Gaudium et Spes. Perhaps many of you are unaware, as I might have been had I not attended the lecture or read the piece closely several times, that the article entitled “Archbishop addresses priest abuse” in the September 30th issue of The Villanovan refers to that same address. Perhaps you are also unaware, as the author seems to have been, that the night did not become an “open forum” on sexual abuse by members of the clergy. Most questions addressed to the Cardinal discussed Gaudium et Spes or the need for strong religious education among Catholic youths. Admittedly, the first “question” focused on the recent report of sexual scandal; however, all other inquiries dealt with the topic at hand, the real reason for the Cardinal’s presence on campus and for my attendance. Essentially, “the heated questions” ceased as soon as the “You’re a phony” comment had been uttered, and the Cardinal avoided addressing the issue for the remainder of the evening. Furthermore, Dr. Prusak, Chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, moderated the event and requested that questions pertain to the discussion. Perhaps in the future, The Villanovan’s journalistic integrity would be better upheld by discussing and commenting on the facts of events rather than engaging in pure sensationalism.