Cardinal Stafford Stands by Criticism of Obama

Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See, is standing by controversial comments he made about President-elect Barack Obama during an on-campus lecture last Thursday. In an address hosted by the John Paul II Institute on Marriage and Family, Stafford called President-elect Barack Obama’s policies “aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic,” said that his election was “a cultural earthquake” and that Obama campaigned on an “extremist anti-life platform.” (YouTube Video)

The story about the Cardinal’s comments was posted on CUATOWER.com on Friday and audio of his remarks was added on Monday. Since its posting, the story went viral online and has been picked up by CNN, CBS, ABC, Catholic News Service, National Catholic Reporter and the Drudge Report. Read more

CUA Dean Files Complaint Against Cardinal’s Nest

The University filed a complaint against Cardinal’s Nest, a bar popular with students, on August 26, following reports of students returning to campus intoxicated from the bar.

Kathryn Jennings, associate dean of students, officially filed the complaint with the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Association saying, “Our Department of Public Safety reported hundreds of intoxicated students coming from Cardinal’s Nest.” The bar is located less than a half mile from the University.

Jennings also mentioned she has heard about various hearings that were being conducted against Cardinal’s Nest. Read more

Cadet Cardinal: Weekend Training With CUA ROTC

Behind every identical uniform, every generic honorific and every accomplishment within the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is the story of an individual. Junior nursing major Shannon Gasser has shown up on her Colonel’s radar as a capable leader. Freshman Josh Choe scores in the top of his class on physical training, marksmanship and testing almost every chance he is given. George Washington University senior W. Buck Bobbin overcame a weight problem, completely altering his lifestyle after he missed junior summer training.

Over the last weekend, all of these stories collided about two hours outside of Washington, D.C. at the army’s Fort A.P. Hill in Bowling Green, Va. “It’s a chance to show our abilities to the commanders,” said senior Bob Bisconti, who acted as Master Sergeant for the battalion over the weekend. Read more

Senior Got Personal Pitch From Obama

Most voters get pitches from presidential candidates through television commercials, prime-time debates and campaign websites.

Senior Irene Kelly got a pitch from President-elect Barack Obama in a personal phone call and meeting with the candidate.

Irene’s mother, Sarah “Sally” Kelly, became one of the first state representatives in New Hampshire to support Obama in summer of 2007, after attending a meeting in Manchester, N.H. with Obama and some of his early supporters.

Kelly’s mother invited her to go, but unfortunately could not attend due to a previously scheduled meeting. Her mother kept calling Kelly during the meeting, until she had to finally excuse herself, thinking it might be an emergency. Read more

CUA Students Protest Prop. 8 on Mall

University students attended a protest on Nov. 15 against Proposition 8, a ballot which eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry in California, as they braved the rain marching from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial.

More than 5,000 people ranging “from gay and straight, young and old, black and white,” said senior Erin Murphy, who attended the protest.

“It was, in every sense of the word, an inclusive affair, and being directly in the midst of the action was an irreplaceable experience,” Murphy said. “It is not until you actually throw yourself out there that you realize how many people are negatively and unfairly affected by legislation like Prop 8.” Read more

Association Discusses Student Bill of Rights

Student Fee Allocation Board Updates General Assembly on State of Funds

The Student Association General Assembly made plans to continue discussions on the proposed student bill of rights and received an update on student fee allocations from the Student Fee Allocation Board at their meeting Tuesday night.

Delegate Andrew Platt presented a student bill of rights to the General Assembly.

“This was the first reading of the bill, so this is not its final form and has yet to be adopted,” said delegate Ryan Winn. Read more

CUA Tower Story on Cardinal’s Comments about Obama Goes Viral

A CUATOWER.com story on a Cardinal who called President-elect Barack Obama’s policies “apocalyptic” has gone viral online and has even been picked up by CNN.

The audio and photo used in the story were provided to a CNN producer by the Tower. CNN also contacted the Vatican and the Obama transition team. Both choose not to comment on the story.

When CNN reached him in Rome, Cardinal Stafford stood by his remarks and said he has no regrets, but declined to have to phone call recorded. He does believe, however, that his remarks can be misunderstood. His take on the word apocalyptic, said Stafford, is different from common western references to the end of the world.

In his understanding, “apocalyptic” means resistance to the divine and natural laws on reproduction and the preservation of human life.

Stafford told CNN that he does believe that Obama’s stance on abortion rights condones violence towards unborn children. He also told CNN that he does not speak for the Vatican.

CUA Stands Up for “Office” Star

Comedian B.J. Novak performed to a nearly sold-out crowd in the Pryzbyla Center on Tuesday night. More than 600 students from the University and local area attended the event sponsored by Program Board.

Novak traveled to Washington on a train from New York and joked about the online directions he used to get from Union Station to the University.

“If someone tells you that you can get from Union Station in downtown D.C. to this part of campus, in four minutes, you are going to die,” said Novak. “I show up ten minutes late to everything and feel like a failure because some speed freak is racing around our nation‘s highways in a Maserati on Christmas morning checking off times.”

Novak plays Ryan on the NBC Emmy winning show “The Office,” a mockumentary about the lives of employees at the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, PA. He has also written eight episodes of the show. He has appeared on MTV‘s “Punk‘d” and in the films “Unaccompanied Minors,” “Reign Over Me” and “Knocked Up.” Read more

Weekend Victory Would Secure Slot in Playoffs

After a long and testing season, it all comes down to just one game to finish up the regular season, as the Cardinals could clinch the Old Dominion Athletic Conference title with a win over Bridgewater on Saturday.

“I think we can’t grow complacent with what we have done so far this season,” said senior captain Nick Olivero midseason about what needed to be done to reach the playoffs. “We have to be even hungrier and more focused for the next game if we want to have the type of success that we desire.”

The Cardinals drowned Guilford College 49-34 last Saturday. Senior quarterback Keith Ricca passed for over 500 yards and threw five touchdown passes. Read more

Cardinal at CUA: Obama is ‘Aggressive, Disruptive and Apocalyptic’

His Eminence James Francis Cardinal Stafford criticized President-elect Barack Obama as “aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic,“ and said he campaigned on an “extremist  anti-life platform,” Thursday night in Keane Auditorium during his lecture “Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II: Being True in Body and Soul.“

“Because man is a sacred element of secular life,” Stafford remarked, “man should not be held to a supreme power of state, and a person’s life cannot ultimately be controlled by government.”

“For the next few years, Gethsemane will not be marginal. We will know that garden,” Stafford said, comparing America’s future with Obama as president to Jesus’ agony in the garden. “On November 4, 2008, America suffered a cultural earthquake.” Read more

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