by: Vicki Yamasaki, founder and chair, Corpus Christi for Unity and Peace Contact: CUP@corpuschristiforunityandpeace.org
Saint Mary’s College, a women’s Catholic institution in Notre Dame, Indiana, is facing a firestorm of criticism after naming Dr. Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland, as its 2025 commencement speaker and an honorary Doctor of Laws recipient. Announced by president Katie Conboy on March 6, 2025, the decision has drawn fierce opposition from students, alumnae, and pro-life advocates who argue McAleese’s stances on abortion, LGBT rights, and the Catholic Church itself are anti-Catholic and betray the college’s mission. As of April 5, 2025, a Change.org petition opposing her selection has neared 900 signatures.
McAleese, Ireland’s president from 1997 to 2011, is celebrated for her peace efforts yet her post-presidency vocal harsh critiques of Church doctrine have sparked outrage. She voted “no hesitation” to repeal Ireland’s Eighth Amendment in 2018, legalizing abortion, as highlighted in a revealing student interview on YouTube:
She also supports same-sex marriage, women’s ordination, and LGBT rights—endorsing a “homosexual lifestyle.” McAleese has called the Catholic Church “one of the last great bastions of misogyny” and “an empire of misogyny,” decrying its “homophobic and anti-abortion” hierarchy as unfit for the “Church of the future.” She further rejected Catholic education in a “Know Your Queer History” Shout Out Series, stating, “I wouldn’t send any of my children to a Catholic school… There is a dark side of [Catholic education] that perplexes me and worries me.”
Opposition has mobilized swiftly. Belles for Life, the college’s pro-life group, branded her selection “a grave scandal” in a March 14 letter, while The Loretto Trust, an alumnae group, called it “an unambiguous betrayal,” citing U.S. bishops’ guidelines against honoring dissenters.
The petition, “Oppose Dr. Mary McAleese as the 2025 Commencement Speaker” (sign here: https://www.change.org/p/oppose-dr-mary-mcaleese-as-the-2025-commencement-speaker), nears 900 signatures, urging the college to uphold its Catholic identity (count as of 4.5.25 10 am).
President Conboy has stood by McAleese, arguing in a March 31 student newspaper letter that her 2018 vote was procedural, not pro-abortion—a claim Ireland’s Life Institute and Pro Life Campaign refute, linking it to liberal abortion laws. Conboy frames McAleese’s critiques as progressive, not anti-Catholic, but detractors see a rejection of core Church values.
With the May 17, 2025, commencement nearing, the controversy exposes a rift over Catholic identity in academia. Supporters laud McAleese’s progressive vision, but critics argue her attacks on Church teachings, education, and hierarchy disqualify her. Watch the student interview to hear the concerns firsthand, and join nearly 900 others by signing the petition to demand Saint Mary’s reconsider this divisive choice. Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend has yet to comment, leaving the college at a crossroads.
