The Australian Catholic University made headlines last week after its response to a mass walkout by students and staff during a speech given by Catholic union leader Joe de Bruyn at a graduation ceremony. Rather than defending the speaker or affirming Catholic teaching, Vice-Chancellor Zlatko Skrbis capitulated to public pressure and apologised to those offended by de Bruyn’s remarks.

The university’s response raises a troubling question: if large faith-based institutions fold under social pressure, how much harder is it for ordinary Australians to freely express their values and beliefs?

Mr de Bruyn, a respected Catholic union leader, was invited to deliver a speech by the ACU at a graduation ceremony where he received an honorary doctorate from the university in recognition of his lifetime of Catholic leadership in public life. In his speech he highlighted how he has integrated his Catholicism into his public and professional life. This includes the firm position he has consistently taken on issues such as abortion, IVF and marriage, even when these positions clash with broader societal trends. His message to graduates was simple: remain steadfast in your beliefs, but do so respectfully and thoughtfully.

During his speech, however, a large number of students and staff walked out of the auditorium in protest.

Media reports portrayed de Bruyn's speech as divisive and inflammatory, overlooking the context of his remarks—a call for graduates to stand firm in their principles, even when those principles may be unpopular.

Instead of supporting Mr de Bruyn and affirming its own Catholic teaching, ACU’s leadership responded to the controversy by apologising to the student body and staff who were offended. They offered them counselling, and extended a refund of graduation fees to those dissatisfied.

Mr De Bruyn expressed disappointment that people had walked out:

“Universities are meant to be places of debate. Someone was invited to give a speech and reflect on his life as a Catholic, and when people walk out, that is disappointing. I wouldn’t do anything differently. My views are not peculiar views, they may not have majority support, but they are the views of the Catholic Church. I thought it was an entirely appropriate venue.”

In an interview on ABC Radio last the week, Mr de Bruyn explained why he chose to address the issues he did in his speech:

I could easily give a vanilla speech that has nothing in it that is any different to what any other trade union official would say … so I thought I should focus on some issues that I have been involved in, where I had brought my Catholic beliefs into play in the issues that were in front of me. I was, after all, being given an honour by the Australian Catholic University, as a Catholic layman, for services to the Catholic Church, so it was entirely appropriate that I deal with issues that I have come across in my professional life, where the teachings of the Catholic Church were important to me in how I responded.

The full text of the speech can be accessed here.

Commentator Greg Sheridan highlighted the broader significance of the controversy, noting that “... the response of [the Vice-Chancellor] was extraordinary, and profoundly damaging to his institution, to the Catholic Church and to the broader cause of religious freedom.

The collapse of the authority, purpose and effectiveness of key institutions has been central to the social crisis we, and similar societies, face today.

If even a Catholic university retreats from its own values under public pressure, where does that leave other religious organisations and ordinary Catholics in Australia?

National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) Executive Director, Jacinta Collins, voiced the concerns of many Australians: “It is saddening that there is decreasing tolerance and respect for a diversity of views in Australia.”

This case is another in the trend of institutions, from universities to sporting clubs, sidelining traditional religious views in the face of public opposition. The message to Australians is clear: your private beliefs have no place in the public sphere.

That’s why the work of HRLA is so crucial. We stand up for Australians targeted for living out their faith publicly and defend their freedom to speak the truth.

What’s clear is that we need more people like Joe de Bruyn who are prepared to unapologetically stand up for their faith, even when it is unpopular.