GEROGETOWN STUDENTS JOIN OTHER UNIVERSITIES IN REVOKING HONORARY DEGREES FROM MCCARRICK AND CARDINAL WUERL

1,376 individuals have signed a petition urging Georgetown University to revoke the honorary degrees of Cardinals Donald Wuerl and Theodore McCarrick for their roles in widespread reported sexual misconduct within the Catholic Church.

Ten students delivered the petition to Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia’s office on September 14. 

The petition calls for Georgetown University to revoke the honorary degrees of Wuerl and McCarrick, to condemn Church leadership for its role in covering up the abuse, and to demand the resignation of Cardinal Wuerl. 

Other Catholic institutions, including The Catholic University of America and Fordham University, have both already rescinded the degrees previously bestowed upon McCarrick.

“As a Jesuit university, Georgetown is obligated to speak out against injustice, especially when our own leaders in D.C. neglect that duty,” the petition reads.

President DeGioia wrote to the entire Georgetown community condemning the sexual misconduct within the Church on September 4.

“We have an immediate and urgent need to engage in the work of “cultural change”—to create a context in which the most vulnerable among us will be safe and protected, to create a context in which the abuse of power can be identified and eliminated,” DeGioia wrote.

Both Catholic Women at Georgetown and Knights of Columbus have publicly shown support for the petition.

Students contend that revoking the degrees sends a clear message that there must be absolutely zero tolerance and that the Universities themselves will not accept excuses for any such behavior.

And still the Holy See has taken no initiate whatsoever to respond in any constructive way to investigate McCarrick himself as well as those who may have known of his perverted behavior and remained silent.

I commend the students of Catholic University, Fordham, the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Women and students of Georgetown for their advocacy in the removal of any honors attached to either McCarrick or Cardinal Wuerl.  

The simple fact is that the honors are not deserved!