Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of the Denver Archdiocese spoke on the importance of lay leadership in public life during his a speech at the Envoy Institute of Belmont Abbey College on October 8.  The Institute bestowed upon Chaput the “Envoy of the Year Award”.  The archbishop took the occasion to praise Belmont Abbey College for standing up for its “right to be Catholic,” while also warning that evil will certainly triumph if it is left unopposed, Catholic News Agnecy reports.  Chaput was referring to Belmont Abbey’s current row with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over the college’s refusal to cover contraceptives in its employee insurance plan.  During his speech, the archbishop also said, “It’s one of the great ironies of the moment that tiny Belmont Abbey would have the courage to challenge Caesar over its right to be faithfully Catholic in its policies, while so many other American Catholics seem eager to give Caesar honors.  But God is a God of ironies, as the Philistines discovered, among others.”  Read Archbishop Chaput’s full remarks on the Denver Archdiocese website.  Source: Catholic News Agency