Harrison Butker defends his controversial graduation speech during a Catholic school ceremony

CNN
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In his first public comments following Controversial speech At a recent college graduation ceremony, Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker defended his speech and stressed his Catholic faith.

“If it was not clear that timeless Catholic values ​​are hated by many, it is now,” Butker said during a speech at the Courage Under Fire gala in Nashville on Friday night.

The Nashville letter was published on X by right-wing media outlet The Daily Wire.

This is the first time the three-time Super Bowl champion has spoken publicly about the graduation speech he gave at Benedictine College, a small Catholic college in Kansas, on May 11. During his speech, Butker made comments that many interpreted as homophobic and sexist, including calling… Pride month A “deadly sin” and saying that a woman’s achievements at home are more valuable than any academic or professional goals, among other things.

The Friday night party was previously hosted Regina Kylie Academy – A co-ed campus/Catholic home school group with several locations across the country. The event featured several other speakers, including right-wing media personality and Daily Wire host Matt Walsh.

“Over the past few days, my beliefs, or what people think I believe, have been the focus of countless discussions around the world,” said Butker, a school board member.

Regina Kylie Academy It did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.

“At first, many people expressed a shocking level of hatred. But as the days passed, even those who disagreed with my views shared their support for my religious freedom.

Butker reaffirmed his commitment to his Catholic faith, saying, “Our love for Jesus, and therefore our desire to speak out, should never be outweighed by the longing of our fallen nature to be loved by the world.”

During his speech, Patkar referred to Saint Daniel, the biblical prophet who was thrown into the lion’s den for his commitment to praying to God, despite the existence of a law condemning worshipers to death.

“I can’t help but shudder at the thought of the courage shown by so many saints in their lives,” Butker said.

God saved Daniel because of his commitment to faith according to the Old Testament.

“Would I be so bold if the outcome was what Daniel faced when he was fed to the lions? In fact, any courage you show will result in some minor suffering. “It will result in some people maybe never liking me, but that may be God’s will,” Kicker said.

The NFL issued a statement earlier this month saying Butker’s comments did not reflect the views of the league.

Butker’s speech on May 11 sparked criticism from LGBT advocacy organization GLAADwho called his comments “plainly wrong” and “woefully out of step with Americans about pride and people and women from the LGBTQ community.”

Nuns of Mount Saint Scholastica A Founding institution and the pastor of Benedictine College, also distanced themselves from Butker’s message. “The Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica do not believe that Harrison Butker’s comments in his 2024 Benedictine College commencement address represent the Catholic and Benedictine liberal arts college our founders envisioned and in which we have invested so much,” they said. In the current situation. “Instead of promoting unity in our church, nation and world, his comments appear to have fostered division.”

Fellow Chiefs star Travis Kelce recently responded to his commencement speech, Saying he doesn’t agree with “any” of Butker’s opinions but appreciates him as a teammate.

“I cherish him as a teammate. I think Pat (Mahomes) said it best when he’s a great person and a great teammate.”