Catholic University of America denied a request from a Students Supporting Israel chapter to host two events on campus, citing a lack of balanced perspectives — a requirement the group's leader called “deeply concerning.”

Felipe Avila, a nursing student at CUA and president of the school's SSI chapter, maintains that the Washington-based university has "selectively" applied the opposing viewpoints requirement, calling it a "double standard." 

“It is deeply concerning that Catholic University selectively applies equal-time policies, uniquely burdening Jewish and pro-Israel students,” Avila told The Christian Post. “When we host programming to discuss our community and its security, we shouldn't be forced to platform competing viewpoints as a condition of participating in campus life.”

“It is a double standard no other student group is forced to navigate. Students Supporting Israel will continue to vigorously defend its right to speak out against antisemitism, in the very spirit of the Church's own teachings in Nostra Aetate,” the nursing student added, referencing the Second Vatican Council declaration that transformed Jewish and Catholic relations.

Avila requested approval in January to host two events on campus, but CUA rejected the requests “on the basis of its Presentation Policy’s ‘balanced presentation’ requirement." The university invited SSI to “restructure the event and resubmit a request to have speakers representing both sides of this issue.”

In a March 18 letter sent to CUA President Peter Kilpatrick, the nonpartisan advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression urged the university to approve the events and issue a public statement assuring students “the university will not compel speech as a condition for approval of student-hosted events.”

“While CUA is a private university and therefore not bound by the First Amendment, it is legally and morally bound to adhere to the institutional commitments it has voluntarily made to protect students’ freedom of speech,” FIRE’s letter stated.

FIRE requested that CUA respond by Wednesday, confirming it will approve the SSI chapter’s event requests and issue a statement assuring student organizations that the administration will allow them to host speakers and events of their choosing.

The first event Avila requested permission for would have featured U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., who would have spoken about the documented rise of antisemitism across the United States, “with a specific focus on the complex climate currently facing institutions of higher education,” as the letter noted.

Avila also requested permission to host Israel Defense Forces Col. (res.) Dany Tirza, a chief architect of Israel’s security fence in Judea and Samaria. Tirza would have spoken to students about the reason for the fence’s construction and the difficult choices involved in balancing national security with the daily lives of people in the region.

Leo Terrell, chair of the U.S. Department of Justice’s task force on combating antisemitism, also commented on the situation in a March 18 X post, writing, “Is this a joke?”

In a statement to CP, a spokesperson for CUA said the university “welcomes people of all faiths and stands firmly against antisemitism.”

“We take seriously the safety and dignity of our Jewish students and every member of our community,” the spokesperson said. “Antisemitism is repellent and dangerous. We are committed to confronting it in ways consistent with our Catholic mission and belief in the dignity of every human person.”

Several recent events at CUA have focused on antisemitism and the Catholic Church’s relationship with the Jewish community.

On March 4, Catholic Law’s Center for Religious Liberty hosted a discussion about rising antisemitism on college campuses. Last November, CUA’s School of Theology and Religious Studies also held a dialogue to mark the Second Vatican Council's “Nostra Aetate” declaration.

The declaration condemned antisemitism, repudiating the charge of collective Jewish guilt for the death of Christ. It also affirmed the spiritual connection between Christianity and Judaism, as well as God’s enduring covenant with the Jewish people.

“We have invited Students Supporting Israel to submit a restructured proposal and to work within university processes to host a thoughtful conversation. As a private, religious institution, Catholic University is well within its rights to approve or deny any speaker request,” the CUA spokesperson continued. “We welcome SSI’s outreach and are confident we’ll reach a resolution quickly through good-faith dialogue.”

The situation between CUA and the SSI chapter comes as several Catholic speakers, such as Candace Owens and Carrie Prejean Boller, have recently generated attention for their anti-Israel rhetoric.

Avila told CP he believes it is important to distinguish between individuals who happen to be Catholic and those who hold ecclesiastical roles and shape Church teaching.

“Every religion has its outliers, but Catholic dogma is clear: antisemitism and any form of racial discrimination are reprehensible. Those who purport to be Catholic while spreading anti-Jewish hatred are not following Church teaching,” the SSI president said.

“Antisemitism is undeniably on the rise within Catholic communities, and we are seeing anti-Jewish ideology seep directly into our college campuses,” he continued. “We need university administrators to step up and definitively root out anti-Jewish hatred whenever and wherever it appears.”

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/catholic-university-rejects-pro-israel-events-on-campus.html