The Australian newspaper’s Foreign Editor, Greg Sheridan, delivered a tirade against the staff and students at the Australian Catholic University after they issued an apology over comments made by former union leader Joe De Bruyn during a graduation ceremony.
Sheridan shared his views during an appearance on the Credlin program on Sky News. He said the university should close down if it was not prepared to promote Catholic values, while host Peta Credlin called for Vice-Chancellor Professor Zlatko Skrbis to resign.
The university issued an apology to students after a mass walk out of students, friends and family members during a speech given by Joe De Bruyn who was receiving an honorary doctorate. The former unionist used his speech to voice his views on IVF, abortion and banning same-sex marriages.
In recent years Sheridan has published several books on Christianity, and when asked about his views on the university apologising for De Bruyn’s speech he didn’t hold back.
“I find the behaviour of those staff and students who walked out on Joe De Bruyn utterly contemptable, even if they disagreed with him. You show politeness and listen to someone you disagree with.” Sheridan said.
The journalist said the De Bruyn was only sharing the teachings of teachings of the Catholic Church, and such comments should be expected to be heard within the surroundings of a Catholic University.
“If the university calls itself a Catholic university, and will not even listen to a faithful Catholic explaining Catholic doctrinal teaching, then it ought to go out of business.
“Nobody should donate money to it, nobody should consider it a Catholic university anymore, it shouldn’t be taken over by the state, it should simply go out of business. I find the behaviour of the staff and students who walked out on Joe De Bruyn, who is a faithful Catholic and a very good guy, utterly contemptable.
“I find the behaviour of the Vice-Chancellor extraordinary.” Sheridan said, criticising an email to students which highlighted support for mental health offered by the university.
“He’s counselling people for the grief and hurt that they might suffer from hearing Catholic teaching – so presumably no Archbishop would be allowed on the ground of the Australian Catholic University.
Sheridan went on to say the university’s assets should be auctioned off for charity and its leaders should go and “live in a desert monastery and say twenty years of penance.”
Sheridan said studying catholic teachings should be compulsory for all students studying at the Australian Catholic University.
“It needs to reform itself and become bold and proud of it’s Catholic identity and it’s Catholic teaching, or it should just shut up shop, go out of business and stop pretending to be something that it isn’t.” Sherdian said.
Host Peta Credlin said she’s wanted to see Vice-Chancellor Professor Zlatko Skrbis hand in his resignation.
“He should be perused on what he has done this week. He should not hold that position.” Credlin told viewers.
