Exclusive | St. Johns New Yorks largest Catholic university has canceled Columbus Day

St.John’s — New York’s largest Catholic university — has gone woke and no longer refers to Monday’s holiday as “Christopher Columbus Day’’ in honor of the explorer hailed as a devout Christian.Some Italian-American civic leaders and alumni are now ripping the Catholic institution for dissing the famous but controversial Italian explorer.“To not acknowledge Columbus is insane,” said Angelo Vivolo, president of the Columbus Heritage Coalition.

“Of course it’s an insult.”Former Brooklyn state Assemblyman Peter Abbate, a St.John’s alum who earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science, agreed.“It’s outrageous not acknowledging Columbus.

It’s just ludicrous,” Abbate said.“They might as well call  St.

John’s University, John’s University.They get an `F’ for trying to be cute about it.”The St.

John’s academic calendar now describes the holiday as “fall mini-break – university closed.No classes.”In doing so, it joins New York City government, which threw Columbus under the bus during former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tenure amid protests that the explorer enslaved and brutalized native populations during his voyages to the New World.The city Sanitation Department put out a notice this year saying, “There’s no trash, curbside compost or recycling collection on Monday, Oct.

14, Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”Still, Fordham University, the city’s other major New York Catholic university, says in its calendar that the “university is closed for Columbus Day.”Iona College, a Catholic school in Westchester County, also recognizes  “Columbus Day” in the calendar, although it does not observe the holiday, with “classes in session.”Vivolo said he has personally complained to St.John’s officials about eliminating “Columbus” from the holiday, adding, “My sister graduated from St.

John’s.My granddaughter is a graduate.

My niece is a student.”Vivolo, the former ch...