Nuns of Benedictine College Condemn Harrison Butker and Say His Graduation Speech ‘Fostered Division’

The sisters do not believe that Harrison Butker’s comments represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned,” the statement read

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Nuns of Benedictine College Condemn Harrison Butker and Say His Graduation Speech ‘Fostered Division’
“The sisters do not believe that Harrison Butker’s comments represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned,” the statement read

By Danielle Jennings Published on May 17, 2024 01:42PM EDT
Harrison Butker #7 of the Kansas City Chiefs warms up before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles prior to Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023
Harrison Butker. PHOTO: COOPER NEILL/GETTY
The fallout from Harrison Butker’s controversial graduation speech continues to rage on, as nuns from Benedictine College join the list as the latest to condemn his words.

In a lengthy statement posted to Facebook, the nuns from Benedictine College publicly called out Butker’s speech, which was delivered during the college’s 2024 commencement ceremony.

“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 statement read.

The nuns added that Butker’s words were divisive and the assertion that women should only be homemakers is false.

“Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division. One of our concerns was the assertion that being a homemaker is the highest calling for a woman…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,” the statement said.

We reject a narrow definition of what it means to be Catholic,” the statement read, calling out Butker’s words surrounding the idea that women who are stay-at-home moms are the true definition of what it means to be rooted in their faith.

Concluding the statement, the nuns highlighted that despite Butker’s divisive words, Benedictine College wants to be known as welcoming and celebrating diversity.

“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. We believe those values are the core of Benedictine College,” the statement read.