Boston College attracts praise and hostility for placing crucifixes in classrooms

The sad part about this whole situation is that Crucifixes & icons in a Catholic school room SHOULD NOT be a controversial news story. 


Boston, Mass., Feb 13, 2009 / 04:00 am (CNA).- Crucifixes and icons were recently placed in all Boston College classrooms at the request of the Jesuit school’s president, Rev. William P. Leahy, SJ. The move has generated a variety of both enthusiastic and hostile responses.

According to a statement from the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS), executive editor Donato Infante of the Boston College paper The Observer said that Father Leahy had employees hang the images in classrooms around campus over Christmas Break.

Infante reported that during a “State of the Heights” address two weeks ago, Fr. Leahy responded to complaints about the imagery by saying that the administration did not need to consult professors about the decision. He insisted the crucifixes and the icons will not be taken down.

Crucifixes and sacred art have had a scattered presence on campus since the 1970s, the CNS says. Two years ago, a new statue of the Society of Jesus’ founder St. Ignatius Loyola was erected on campus.
Now there is a Catholic icon, usually a crucifix, above the lintel in all 151 college classrooms, the Boston Globe reports.

(Full story at CNA)