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<H1>Senator Claire McCaskill Disinvited From Daughter's High School Commencement
Over Stem Cell Debate</H1>
<P><STRONG>Wednesday, May 02, 2007</STRONG></P>
<P><IMG alt=AP src="http://www.foxnews.com/images/service_ap_36.gif"></P>
<P>ST. LOUIS — </P>Sen. <A
href="javascript:siteSearch('Claire McCaskill');"><B>Claire McCaskill</B></A>
was disinvited from speaking at her daughter's Catholic high school commencement
because her positions on abortion and embryonic stem cell research are at odds
with those of the church.
<P>Students at St. Joseph's Academy in the St. Louis suburb of Frontenac wanted
to have McCaskill speak at their graduation this month, McCaskill spokeswoman
Adrianne Marsh said Tuesday.</P>
<P>But the offer was rescinded last week. The senator was told by the school
that the decision came from St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, Marsh said.</P>
<P>Marsh said the senator, a Catholic, understands that her positions supporting
abortion rights and stem cell research are different than those held by the
church, but she's made peace with them.</P>
<P>The Democratic senator had seen the chance to speak at commencement as a
special opportunity because her daughter is one of the graduates, McCaskill said
in a statement.</P>
<P>"I'm disappointed that the Archbishop has made this decision. It does not
diminish my respect and admiration for St. Joseph's Academy, their faculty, and
students."</P>
<P>Archdiocesan spokeswoman Anne Steffens said, "The decision was not made by
the archbishop." She said he wasn't part of discussions on the matter.</P>
<P>The president of St. Joseph's Academy, Sister Michaela Zahner, said she made
the decision to rescind the invitation to McCaskill after receiving a call from
the archdiocesan education office.</P>
<P><STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff>She was told of an archdiocesan policy that
forbids providing a public forum for speakers who do not hold to truths as they
are presented by the Catholic Church.</FONT></STRONG> Zahner said the policy
clearly reflects Burke's position.</P>
<P>She said McCaskill was not asked to give a political speech, but was chosen
to address the class because she is a woman who has served Missouri "well and
faithfully for over 30 years."</P>
<P>Zahner said she was concerned about possible disruptions by anti-abortion
activists if McCaskill spoke. While St. Joseph's is a private, rather than an
archdiocesan school, it receives its right to be identified as a Catholic
institution through the archdiocese, she said.</P>
<P>"It was a very hard decision," Zahner said. She personally believed having
McCaskill speak was going to be a good choice for the girls. "My personal belief
could not affect the good of the institution," she said.</P>
<P>Marsh said McCaskill did not intend to publicize the matter for fear it would
put a "political cloud" on the commencement. She issued a statement only after
being approached by a reporter.</P>
<P>"She doesn't want her daughter or the other girls to suffer," Marsh said.
"She is very saddened that this is putting girls at the school on political
display."</P>
<P>Just last week, Burke resigned from the board of the Cardinal Glennon
Children's Medical Center Foundation in St. Louis where singer Sheryl Crow was
providing entertainment for a fundraiser, because he disagreed with her support
of abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research.</P>
<P>Zahner said the call from the archdiocese came in the days before Burke made
his announcement about the Cardinal Glennon board foundation.</P>
<P>St. Joseph's Academy is a college preparatory high school sponsored by the
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. About 640 girls attend the
school.</P></DIV></BODY></HTML>