CNS Urges 28 Colleges to Halt V-Monologues Performances

Continuing its campaign to rid Catholic campuses of the offensive play “The Vagina Monologues,” the Cardinal Newman Society has urged the presidents of 28 Catholic colleges to cancel announced performances in February and March 2006.

Three universities have already assured CNS that they will not permit the play, after CNS informed them of student performances announced by V-Day (www.vday.org), which organizes productions across the country. Very Rev. David O’Connell, CM, president of the Catholic University of America, Msgr. Harry C. Barrett, president of New York Medical College, and Rev. Anthony Figueiredo, Executive Director of Mission and Ministry at Seton Hall University, thanked CNS for informing them of the V-Day announcements and pledged swift action to halt any plans.

Assumption College and Sacred Heart University also have informed CNS that the announced campus performances will not occur, although they have not said whether they banned the event.

CNS urges members to contact the remaining 23 college and university presidents asking them to stop the performance. Please note that the productions announced by V-Day are not yet confirmed and may not have official college approval.

The “Monologues” presents women discussing their sexuality and sexual encounters, replete with vulgarity, explicit language, and graphic descriptions of lesbian activity and masturbation. For a detailed summary, click here.

One scene describes the seduction of a sexually inexperienced 16-year-old girl by a 24-year-old lesbian, who first intoxicates the girl with vodka. Instead of presenting the incident as sexual abuse that would be prosecuted as statutory rape in many states, the play declares it the girl’s “surprising, unexpected and politically correct salvation.” In light of the Church’s struggles with similar crimes by priests who exploited younger boys, the scene is highly objectionable.

The CNS campaign against the “Monologues” has had an impact. In 2005, performances occurred at 27 Catholic colleges and universities, a decline from 29 performances in 2004 and 32 in 2003. The V-Day Web site now features a section titled “resistance,” including a rebuttal to CNS concerns.

Again this year, Saint Louis University is on the list of "Catholic" colleges and universities planning on allowing performances of the V-Monologues. Of course, if history is any indication, the Post Dispatch's "Citizen of the Year", Fr. Lawrence Biondi, will so nothing to stop this play from being performed on campus. Nonetheless, we can continue to express respectful and charitable concern and outrage by way of letter or email. The address is:

Saint Louis University
Rev. Lawrence Biondi, S.J., President
221 North Grand Blvd., Saint Louis, MO 63103
Phone: (314) 977-7777
E-Mail: biondi@slu.edu