A prominent Catholic activist announced he would send a letter to top University leaders, condemning a student-led push to remove the Newman Center’s controversial priest due to mental health concerns.

President of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights Bill Donohue will send a letter to top University administrators and push them to reject two students’ campaign to remove Father Greg Shaffer from campus, according to a press release from the organization.

It was also posted on the Catholic League’s website, asking readers to send the letter as well. It called the students’ effort – which stemmed from their claim that Shaffer forced them out of the church because they are gay – a “serious civil liberties issue” against the Catholic church.

“It is an attack on the freedom of expression of Catholics on campus to discuss their religious beliefs and practices with impunity,” the letter read.

The letter rejects the students’ claims of mental anguish from their personal histories with Shaffer, saying, “Nothing that has been reported by the media suggests that Father Shaffer has said anything inflammatory about these subjects, and the students themselves do not offer any evidence of abusive speech or behavior.”

The students’ campaign also asks the University to vet religious leaders when they affiliate with GW, which the letter does not address.

Donohue is well known for leading the pushback against the Affordable Care Act.

University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard did not immediately return a request for comment about whether the University had received Donohue’s letter.