A devout Catholic former union chief has sparked a mass walkout from a university graduation ceremony as he spoke out against abortion and same-sex marriage.

Joe de Bruyn, who led the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees Association (SDA) from 1978 to 2014, was giving the keynote speech at the Australian Catholic University graduation in Melbourne on Monday night.

Mr de Bruyn also used the address to speak about his opposition to gay marriage and IVF, prompting hundreds of students and staff to leave the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

He told the faculty of education and arts, law and commerce graduates he had opposed ‘the deliberate killing of unborn human beings’ for decades.

‘Today, over 80,000 unborn children are killed by abortion in Australia each year. Worldwide, the estimated number is 42 million each year,’ he said.

‘Abortion is the single biggest killer of human beings in the world, greater than the human toll of World War II. It is a tragedy that must be ended.’

Many attendees said the comments were not appropriate for a graduation and said the ACU should apologise.

But an ACU spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that ‘Mr de Bruyn’s remarks at the ceremony were delivered in a personal capacity’.

Devout Catholic former union head Joe de Bruyn (pictured) has caused a mass walkout from a university graduation ceremony after he said ‘abortion is the single biggest killer of humans’

‘His views and tone of delivery did not resonate with many in the audience.’

The SDA is a major force in the right wing of the Labor Party and for years used its block any move towards legalising same-sex marriage off the agenda. 

On Monday night, Mr de Bruyn made it clear that he is still vehemently opposed to gay marriage. 

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‘Marriage between a man and a woman was instituted by God at the origin of humanity in the Garden of Eden, as the book of Genesis in the Bible tells us,’ he told the students, in remarks reported by The Age.

‘Since then, every society on Earth at all times has recognised marriage as being between a man and a woman.’

Mr de Bruyn also spoke about how in the 1980s Monash University researchers developed ‘the technique of IVF for infertile women’.

‘In the controversy that followed, the media asked me for my opinion,’ he said. ‘I responded that it was morally wrong to deliberately bring children into the world in an environment where the child would have no father.’

The ACU gave Mr de Bruyn an honorary doctorate this week ‘in recognition of his dedication to the rights of workers, educational advancement and improving social welfare’.

But the university was reportedly concerned about what Mr de Bruyn would say in his speech, given his outspoken opposition to abortion, gay rights, IVF and same-sex marriage. 

‘The university understands that many of our staff, graduates and their families disagreed with the content of Mr de Bruyn’s speech, and we regret that this occurred,’ the ACU spokesperson said. 

‘We always encourage people to present their views and beliefs while also being respectful to those who hold a contrary view.’

The graduation ceremony’s program said Mr de Bruyn had shown ‘outstanding support (for) the Catholic Church in Australia, particularly in the promotion of liberal arts education’.

It also noted ‘his outstanding contributions to the general wellbeing of the Australian community through a lifetime of serving and representing the interests of Australian workers, and thereby supporting the mission of ACU’. 

As people left the Exhibition Centre in droves – including some who had been sitting beside him on the stage – Mr de Bruyn encouraged students to preserve their Catholic faith in the years to come.

‘My experience is that many Catholics cave in to peer pressure. They think their professional lives will be harmed if they promote the teachings of the church.

‘My experience is that this is not so. 

‘Despite my view on some issues being at odds with the views of my contemporaries over the past 50 years, it has never affected my career at all.’

Students and staff are pictured leaving the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre due to the content of a graduation speech

The university said it ‘will issue a statement to graduates and staff attending the ceremony acknowledging the perceived misalignment of the content of Mr de Bruyn’s address with the celebratory occasion of graduation’.

The ACU has offered counselling services to graduates and staff involved in last night’s ceremony. 

‘ACU is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for students and staff of all beliefs,’ its spokesperson said. 

‘Education, faith, respect and acceptance are at the heart of our mission as a Catholic university.’

Many online commenters were shocked by Mr de Bruyn’s speech, with one asking ‘This actually happened? What?’

Another wroted: ‘Hold on… why is anyone speaking about abortion at a graduation? Whether they are pro or anti abortion isn’t even relevant. Why abortion at all?’

A woman who was there said she ‘was one of the people graduating and he literally ruined the graduation ceremony. I literally walked out.’

Another commenter pointed out that ‘there were probably a lot of LGBTQIA+ people in the audience. You can be gay and believe in God. This was wrong.’