Satanic black mass at Harvard will be held despite being called 'highly offensive' by university president

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 12 (UPI) -- A satanic black mass will be held at Harvard on Monday, despite the objections of religious and education leaders.

The satanic ceremony, which is being organized by the Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club and the Satanic Temple, is set to take place at an on-campus bar.

"The complaints are founded metaphysical concerns, and there is simply a disagreement with regards to how this faith is practiced," Cultural Studies Club organizers said in a statement to the university's student newspaper. "The flawed assumption seems to be that because Satan is the representation of evil incarnate for some faiths, that Satanist[s] are part of a hate group and their practice devoted toward denigrating Catholicism... The point of this event is to challenge the stigmatization of marginalized groups."

Harvard President Drew Faust called the event "flagrantly disrespectful and inflammatory" but said that the organizers do have the right to proceed.

"The decision by a student club to sponsor an enactment of this ritual is abhorrent; it represents a fundamental affront to the values of inclusion, belonging and mutual respect that must define our community," Faust said, according to CBS Boston. "[The event] challenges us to reconcile the dedication to free expression at the heart of a university with our commitment to foster a community based on civility and mutual understanding."

The Catholic Church also condemned the mass and the Archdiocese of Boston will hold a holy hour at 8 p.m. at St. Paul's Church in response to the planned event.

"I would say that the event is an attack on the Eucharist, regardless of what the organizers state," archdiocese spokesman Terry Donilon wrote to foxnews.com in an email. "The event is offensive to Catholics and people of good will."

At least 500 people have signed a petition calling for the black mass to be canceled.