Omaha archbishop voices support for Creighton president, mission

Published: 2007-09-06

OMAHA, Neb. (CNS) -- The relationship between the Archdiocese of Omaha and Creighton University remains strong, despite some media accounts that called the cancellation of a speaker at Creighton part of a "growing rift" between the university and the archdiocese. "I would like to reiterate, in view of recent events, that the Archdiocese of Omaha and Creighton University have an excellent working relationship," said Omaha Archbishop Elden F. Curtiss Aug. 30 in a statement to the media. "I am supportive personally of (Creighton president Jesuit) Father John Schlegel and the mission of the university." The recent events to which the archbishop referred revolved around Creighton's decision to cancel a speech by best-selling author Anne Lamott as part of a women's health lecture series sponsored by the Center for Health, Policy and Ethics at the Creighton University Medical Center. University officials withdrew the invitation when they learned that in a book published this spring Lamott wrote about helping a friend with cancer die. She also is an advocate of keeping abortion legal.

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