Northwestern pulls degree offer for Obama pastor

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern University (NU) has retracted an honorary degree offer to Jeremiah Wright, Sen. Barack Obama’s embattled former pastor.

"In light of the controversy around Dr. Wright and to ensure that the celebratory character of commencement not be affected, the university has withdrawn its invitation to Dr. Wright," read a statement from Alan K. Cubbage, NU’s vice president for university relations.

The statement said the offer had been made earlier in the academic year "on the recommendation of faculty committees" to present Wright with an honorary doctorate in sacred theology during NU’s June commencement ceremonies in Evanston, Ill.

Wright has become an increasingly controversial national figure. In sermons at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, he declared that U.S. policies were partially responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks and that the U.S. government was responsible for using HIV as a weapon against blacks.