SRC slams honorary degree for archbishop
Nick Sikora
President of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC), Laura Laws, has criticised the University’s decision to award Archbishop of Glasgow Mario Conti an honorary degree.
The degree was announced by the University in recognition of Archbishop Conti’s “significant contribution to the life of the University”, as well as his work within the ecumenical movement.
The SRC have condemned the decision, stating that it “makes a mockery” of the University’s focus on equality and diversity.
In 2006, Patrick Harvie, Green Party MSP, approached Strathclyde Police with a view to prosecuting the Archbishop following a sermon in which he criticised civil partnership legislation. The Archbishop had stated that the legislation “implicitly places homosexual acts on a plane of moral equivalence to marital love.”
SRC President Laura Laws said that awarding the degree may damage the University’s reputation.
“By celebrating the archbishop’s work without caveat, the University condones everything he has done in office — including his notorious discrimination against a huge section of our society.”
She continued: “By aligning themselves with the archbishop, the University runs the risk of isolating many students and staff.
“Universities often derive benefits by association with those on whom they bestow honorary degrees.
“We don’t believe that this negative aspect of the archbishop’s character is something that the University should associate itself with.”
Honorary degrees have been traditionally awarded to previous Glasgow archbishops, raising the possibility that not doing so would have been seen as a slight to the Archbishop. However, Laws believes that the University should have taken a stand over this issue, rather than simply maintaining the status quo.
She said: “Not awarding the degree in this instance may have been seen as a snub, but we don’t believe that that would have been such an outrageous statement to make.
“We believe that the decision to award a degree should be made on the merits of the individual alone and should not be expected: otherwise the award is rendered meaningless.”
The University has decided to stand by the decision, in spite of the criticisms from the SRC.
A University spokesman said: “The views of the SRC were taken into consideration before the decision was agreed by both the University’s Senate and Court.
“Archbishop Mario Conti will receive an Honorary Degree in recognition of his significant contribution to the life of the University through his preaching, support of the Catholic Chaplaincy and the Faculty of Education and the development of Inter Faith Relations.
“The award also recognises Archbishop Conti’s work with the ecumenical movement as President of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and as an active member of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.”
Archbishop Conti was appointed to the Archdiocese by Pope John Paul II in 2002 and already holds two honorary degrees from the University of Aberdeen.
A spokesman for the archbishop stated: “The Archbishop is delighted and honoured to be awarded an honorary doctorate by the University.
“He has worked hard to build new links between the Church and the University over the years and is very grateful to the University authorities for their award.”
The honorary degree will be awarded by the University of Glasgow to Archbishop Mario Conti in June 2010.
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Mario Conti has every right to be critical of gay relationships, and I would defend his right to do so. His opposition to civil partnerships, gay adoption and every other progressive piece of legislation in this regard is not surprising considering his position within the RC Church. What is surprising is that the University has chosen to validate this by conferring on him an honourary degree. By doing so, the University has decided that it is OK to insult, offend, and upset many GLBT students and staff, children of GLBT parents, those in civil partnerships and those who simply respect the rights of GLBT people, and are offended and dismayed, all for the sake of maintaining the status-quo and saving face. If Mario Conti had studied for this degree, I would have no objection to it being conferred on him. However, by honouring him, the University has validated his work, his teachings, and his views.
Further, by conferring this honourary degree, the University has clearly not considered that the impact of the teachings of the Catholic church in regard to contraception, particularly in Africa, does untold damage to the health of those at risk of HIV and other STIs; The Pope recently urged Catholic Bishops in the UK to oppose the Equalities Bill with ‘missionary zeal’, a statement that drew condemnation from many in politics across the UK. The catholic church across the world is begining to face up to its role in covering-up for priests, nuns and bishops who abused, both physically and sexually, children in their care. Is it right that the University honours the Rev Kathy Galloway, a christian voice for an end to inequality, beside a man who’s organisation propagates and opposes equality at every step? I do not expect the University to act as a political vessel and publicly condemn the church, however, a passive statement of disagreement (by not allocating this significant honour) would have been desirable.
Mario Conti, i am sure, has many laudable qualities and achievements. His work in establishing links between the church and the university and for his work in fostering greater understanding between religions is, for some, worthy of praise. It is not, in my opinion, worthy of validation from one of the great seats of learning in the UK.
In 1995 I graduated with a degree from the University of Glasgow. After fifteen years working as a journalist and human rights campaigner, I am now back at the university undertaking research into the position of transgender people in Scottish society. During my earlier studies I experienced a lot of homophobia within the university. I am glad to say that this has changed substantially. The university’s decision to make this award to Archbishop Conti, however, makes me feel that I chose the wrong institution. I am ashamed to have funded and associated myself with a place that condones this man’s nefarious treatment of his fellow human beings.
As a journalist, I strongly support freedom of speech. This does not mean that I do not recognise the damage that ignorant, malicious speech can do. As a society, we have a responsibility to challenge homophobia and the spreading of homophobic myths, so that all of our citizens can enjoy equal respect and opportunity. The university’s award to Archbishop Conti implies academic support for views directly contradicted by the academic evidence. This not only damages the position of lgbt people in society and makes us feel unwelcome at the university; it makes a joke of the university’s esteemed academic reputation.
As Lord Justice Laws said in his recent ruling, religion cannot be used as an excuse for prejudice that would not be considered justifiable on any other basis. To grant it special privileges in that way is a move toward theocratic, autocratic principles of which a liberal academic institution ought to be ashamed. I hope the archbishop understands that, whatever the senate may think of him, he is as unwelcome among many of its students, researchers and staff as he has made others feel in wider society.