The Jesuit-run Georgetown University has become the first Catholic college to hire a Hindu priest as chaplain.
Leading his first worship service for students on Sunday. The scandal-ridden university has come under constant fire in recent years for allegedly betraying its Catholic charter, and this latest hiring move will surely add more grist to the mill of those who would like to see Georgetown lose its title as “Catholic.”
Last April, Georgetown hosted Planned Parenthood chief Cecile Richards, who had been invited to speak about reproductive rights to some 400 students at the Lohrfink Auditorium. Richards was greeted with a standing ovation.
Michael Khan, President of Georgetown Right to Life, told the Daily Caller that he was disappointed, but not terribly surprised, that his university had granted a platform to someone so opposed to Christian values.
Bentley Hatchett, a volunteer with Tradition, Family and Property, called Richards’ appearance a “scandal,” noting that the first responsibility of a Catholic college should be “to be faithful to the church and consistent with the church’s message.”
According to Georgetown officials, whereas other universities have employed Hindu monks (who have less training than priests) or lay people to work as chaplains for Hindu students, Brahmachari Vrajvihari Sharan is the first full-fledged Hindu priest to serve in the role of chaplain at any university in the United States.
Georgetown also has a rabbi and an imam on staff, available as chaplains to students who are looking for guidance. The university has approximately 300 Hindu students across undergraduate and graduate schools.