Topline
The Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Scholastica, one of the founding institutions and sponsors of Benedictine College, denounced Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker’s controversial commencement speech there for not representing the school’s values—the latest fallout from Butker’s address.
FILE - Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker speaks to the media during NFL football Super Bowl ... [+]
Key Facts
In an online statement, the nuns rather than “promoting unity in our church, our nation and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division,” and did not represent “the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned.”
The nuns pointed specifically to Butker’s divisive comments over women, where he suggested a woman’s highest calling is to be a homemaker, arguing the women they teach “have made a tremendous difference in the world in their roles as wives and mothers and through their God-given gifts in leadership, scholarship, and their careers.”
The nuns say they teach young women and men to “make a Gospel-centered, compassionate home within themselves where they can welcome others as Christ, empowering them to be the best versions of themselves.”
While Butker’s speech bemoaned the loss of traditional values, criticizing growing acceptance of abortion, IVF, surrogacy and Pride Month, the nuns said they “reject a narrow definition of what it remains to be Catholic” and wants the school to be known as an “inclusive, welcoming community.”
Key Background
Butker’s speech has drawn significant backlash—particularly over his comments about women. He told the women in the college’s Class of 2024 they’d been told “diabolical lies” about pursuing careers, and suggested his wife’s life only “truly started” when she “began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.” But he also claimed that growing acceptance for things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy and euthanasia come from “the pervasiveness of disorder” and accused world leaders of “pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America.” An online petition calling for the Chiefs to dismiss Butker over the comments has gathered more than 200,000 signatures. The NFL distanced itself from the speech and reaffirmed its commitment to inclusion. Others, like Chiefs’ star Mitch Schwartz’s wife Brooke Schwartz criticized the speech.
Contra
Still, Butker has some high-profile supporters. Tavia Hunt, the wife of the Chiefs’ CEO Clark Hunt praised his speech, claiming that affirming motherhood is “not bigoted,” while her daughter Gracie said she respected Butker “and his Christian faith.” Teammate Chris Jones tweeted his support for Butker.
