He argues Biden's positions on abortion and same-sex marriage should make him ineligible to receive the award.

Father Elizondo was widely recognized as "the father of U.S. Latino religious thought."

"The very future of the ancient Christian presence in the Middle East is at stake," Archbishop Kurtz said.

The Washington archdiocese said the issue is not about free speech because "lacking in this choice by the student group is any reflection of what should be an environment of morality, ethics and human decency that one expects on a campus that asserts its Jesuit and Catholic history and identity."

"Donald Trump is manifestly unfit to be president of the United States. His campaign has already driven our politics down to new levels of vulgarity," said the letter from two prominent Catholics, Robert George and George Weigel.

"It is a good time to remind ourselves what lives dedicated to genuine public service in politics look like. We find it in the lives of Vice President Biden and Speaker Boehner."

At least 50 priests or religious leaders were involved in the abuse and diocesan leaders systematically concealed the abuse to protect the church's image, according to a grand jury report released on March 1.

Archbishop Robert J. Carlson reiterated ongoing concerns with the values and policies of Girl Scouts USA.

Father Cardenal, expelled from the Jesuits in 1984 for his involvement in Nicaragua's Sandinista government, was readmitted in 1997.

"It's difficult to put into words how wonderful that is, to have the leader of 1.2 billion Catholics of people here, in our region."