“This has weighed heavily on our minds and in our hearts,” Conboy said in the Thursday email. “There have been many voices responding to us from many places and perspectives. We have listened closely, and we have heard each of you.” Despite the fact that the Catholic Church doctrinally condemns transgenderism as gravely evil, the college president made the puzzling claim that the proposed policy change was a “reflection of our College’s commitment to live our Catholic values as a loving and just community.” I guess she missed the part of Genesis where God created humans as male and female—from the moment of their existence, based on biology. Conboy did admit that “the position we took is not shared by all members of our community.”
In fact, she added, “Some worried that this was much more than a policy decision: they felt it was a dilution of our mission or even a threat to our Catholic identity.” No kidding. “Moreover, we clearly underestimated our community’s genuine desire to be engaged in the process of shaping a policy of such significance. As this last month unfolded, we lost people’s trust and unintentionally created division where we had hoped for unity. For this, we are deeply sorry,” she continued.
Alumnae and students were excited about the victory against wokeness, as were several Catholic leaders. As Bishop Kevin Rhoades, in whose diocese the college is located, previously said, “The desire of Saint Mary’s College to show hospitality to people who identify as transgender is not the problem. The problem is a Catholic woman’s college embracing a definition of woman that is not Catholic.”
