The nuns of Benedictine College have made it clear they do not approve of Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s commencement address.
Butker, 28, delivered the controversial speech on Saturday, May 11, using the moment to rail against LGBTQIA+ pride, women in the workforce and abortion access.
“The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica do not believe that Harrison Butker’s comments in his 2024 Benedictine College commencement address represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned and in which we have been so invested,” the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica said in a statement released via Facebook on Thursday, May 16.
In his speech, Butker addressed the graduating women in the crowd, who he said “have had the most diabolical lies told to you.”
“How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career?” Butker continued. “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
He then praised his wife, Isabelle, who he said “would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.” Butker added that “homemaker” is “one of the most important titles of all.”
The nuns’ statement acknowledged those remarks specifically, saying, “One of our concerns was the assertion that being a homemaker is the highest calling for a woman. We sisters have dedicated our lives to God and God’s people, including the many women whom we have taught and influenced during the past 160 years.”
They continued, “Our community has taught young women and men not just how to be ‘homemakers’ in a limited sense, but rather how to make a Gospel-centered, compassionate home within themselves where they can welcome others as Christ, empowering them to be the best version of themselves.”
The statement also rejected what they called “a narrow definition of what it means to be Catholic.”
“We want to be known as an inclusive, welcoming community, embracing Benedictine values that have endured for more than 1,500 years and have spread through every continent and nation,” the nuns explained. “We believe those values are the core of Benedictine College.”
The Chiefs themselves have not addressed Butker’s comments, but Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, said, “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
