RELIGION: Fr. McFarland’s Continuing Missteps at Holy Cross

As the Crank, I’m an alum of Holy Cross and feel some obligation to comment on the Chris Matthews controversy. I don’t think there is much to say other than the obvious: Fr. McFarland has done a disservice to a great institution by his treatment of a strong supporter of the school. I actually agree with McFarland about the decision to honor Chris Matthews — if the school limited candidates for honorary degrees to only those individuals who agree with the Catholic Church’s teachings on every topic, graduation ceremonies would be very short (which wouldn’t be a bad thing!). However, certainly someone who has done as much for the school as Mr. Millard (sending 8 kids to the school, previously serving as chairman of the board of trustees, etc.) deserves better treatment. Add this to the growing list of complaints many alums have with McFarland; it seems as if not a year can pass without him handling a matter poorly. It will be interesting to see the impact this has on fundraising, esp. on the individual large dollar donations.