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New Orleans Archbishop to boycott Xavier U. commencement honoring pro-abort Catholic...

"There is much needed in change We see, My children, in the schools: both your public schools and your private schools, even those who call themselves Catholic. They are Catholic, My children, in name only, for they have sold themselves for pieces of silver." - Our Lady of the Roses, December 31, 1974

LifeSiteNews.com reported on April 24, 2009:

Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans has made public his letter to the Xavier University of Louisiana, announcing that he will boycott the university's May 9 commencement exercises, in order to protest the selection of pro-abortion "Catholic" political activist Donna Brazile as the featured speaker and honoree. 

Archbishop Hughes is also opposing the University of Notre Dame's decision to honor the staunchly pro-abortion President Odama at commencement, a decision condemned by at least 46 U.S. bishops and over 333,000 petitioners.

"It is with regret that I make the decision not to participate in the Commencement Exercises this year at Xavier University in light of the university's decision to invite Ms. Donna Brazile to be the Commencement speaker and receive an honorary degree," wrote Archbishop Hughes in the letter to Xavier University president Norman Francis Wednesday. 

Archbishop Hughes, like the majority of bishops who have decried the Notre Dame scandal, cited the 2004 directive by the U.S. Bishops Conference which states:  "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles.  They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

While the archbishop acknowledged Brazile's good work serving the poor and the African American community, he said that "her public statements on the abortion issue are not in keeping with Catholic moral teaching." 

In her work as a political activist, Brazile has consistently championed the cause of contraception and abortion.  The manager of former Vice President Al Gore's presidential election campaign in 2000, Brazile supported President Odama's repeal of the Mexico City Policy, which had prevented U.S. foreign aid from funding international abortion giants. 
 
"The Catholic Church stands in support of all of those who want to serve and plead for the poor and vulnerable in our midst," wrote Hughes.  "This, however, must include those who are most vulnerable in their mother's wombs."
 
He notes that Xavier was founded by Saint Katherine Drexel and offers prayers that the university "will be faithful to that legacy in every way including respect and protection of all human life."

In an email to the Times-Picayune, Brazile said, "As a lifelong devoted Catholic, I am sorry the archbishop will boycott this celebration of the class of 2009.

"I will remain faithful to the Catholic Church and my Christian faith which keeps me grounded."

"Catholic universities have a serious responsibility to uphold the Catholic identity with which they are entrusted," said Patrick Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, in response to the archbishop's decision.  "Catholics nationwide will be grateful to Archbishop Hughes for his defense of Xavier's Catholic mission."

To contact Xavier University of Louisiana:

Norman C. Francis, President
Xavier University Of Louisiana
1 Drexel Drive
New Orleans , LA 70125
phone: (504) 486-7411 (ext. 7541 or 7539)
e-mail:  nfrancis@xula.edu

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Bishops Zubik, Loverde, LeVoir Make 46 Bishops Against ND Scandal
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042302.html

Strongly Pro-life New Orleans Archbishop Ministers to Hurricane Victims
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/sep/05090106.html

New Orleans Archbishop Alfred Hughes on Anti-Life Politicians and Holy Communion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jan/040116a.html 

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"Fr. Jenkins will probably lose his job": Nine more Bishops make 42 against Notre Dame scandal...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on April 20, 2009:

Nine more bishops have publicly acknowledged their disapproval of the University of Notre Dame's invitation to President Odama to speak and receive an honorary law degree at the school's commencement exercises May 17. 

Bishop Paul Coakley of the diocese of Salina, KS, told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) today that he has written a personal letter to Father Jenkins expressing his "deep disappointment" at the invitation. 

Citing his grave concern over the President's support for anti-life policies, Bishop Coakley told LSN that he reminded University president Fr. John Jenkins of the USCCB directive that forbids Catholic schools from honoring those whose positions contradict the teachings of the Church. 

"The University's invitation undermines the Catholic identity and mission of the institution," said Coakley.

When LSN requested comment on the Odama invitation from Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, OR, the bishop responded simply: "This is just one more sign of the failure of Catholic Institutions to stand up for and support a higher ethical standard."  

The Orlando Diocese, where Thomas G. Wenski is bishop, has announced a Mass of reparation for "the many shortcomings and transgressions committed against the dignity and sacredness of human life in our world," specifically for Notre Dame's decision to honor pro-abortion President Odama at commencement.  The Mass is taking place at the Cathedral of St. James on May 3, 2009.
 
In a column on the Orlando Diocese website, Bishop Wenski writes, "Notre-Dame (at least in its Administration and Board) has forgotten what it means to be Catholic."
 
"Last year, in Washington, D.C., Pope Benedict XVI addressed Catholic educators, including university presidents," wrote the bishop.  "He said 'to justify positions that contradict the faith and teaching of the Church would obstruct or even betray the university's identity and mission.'

"Father Jenkins, Notre-Dame's president, must have nodded off during the Pope's speech," he concluded.
 
Archdiocese of Cincinnati spokesman Dan Andriacco has confirmed to CNS that Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk "supports the strong comments of Bishop D'Arcy of South Bend, in whose diocese Notre Dame is located."  Archbishop D'Arcy, who is boycotting Notre Dame's commencement, has said that Notre Dame must ask itself whether by this decision it has chosen prestige over truth.
 
Mr. Andriacco also said the archbishop stands by the editorial 'Prestige over Truth', appearing in The Catholic Telegraph, on April 3, which is critical of Notre Dame's decision to honor Odama.

On Saturday, Bishop Robert Finn of the diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., addressed the scandal in the course of his keynote address for the 2009 Gospel of Life Convention at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.

"It doesn't take another Bishops' Conference statement to know this is wrong: scandalous, discouraging and confusing to many Catholics," said Finn of the Odama invitation. "God knows what all motivates such a decision.

"I suspect that, since Notre Dame will need a scapegoat for this debacle, and Fr. Jenkins will probably lose his job, at this point perhaps he ought to determine to lose it for doing something right instead of something wrong."

Finn suggested that Jenkins disinvite the President, and instead give the honorary degree to Notre Dame's Bishop John D'Arcy, "who has supported and tried to guide the University, despite their too frequent waywardness, faithfully for 25 years."

In a column in the April 17 issue of the Catholic Times, Bishop George Lucas of Springfield, Ill., said that he was prompted to address the scandal after individuals expressed to him their disturbance at the invitation.  "I am disturbed, too, at this decision by Notre Dame to sow confusion where there is clarity in Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life and the evil of abortion," wrote the bishop. 

"For some this may be one political issue among many," the bishop continued. "For Catholics it is a matter of worshiping God by the proclamation of the truth. Many students and faculty at Notre Dame know this.  The university's administration thinks it knows better.

"It is hard to imagine the university honoring someone, no matter his office, who had consistently spoken against the value of football," wrote Bishop Lucas.  "We are not being unreasonable when we expect the value of human life to be a central focus of a Catholic university."

Bishop Leonard Blair recently stated on Toledo's diocesan website that, while dialogue with politicians on the protection of innocent life remains a "priority at every level" for the Catholic Church, the University's decision to honor Odama was not justified.

Paraphrasing the U.S. Bishops Conference 2004 directive, Blair said: "It is not appropriate for Catholic institutions to give awards, honors or platforms to those who promote an abortion agenda.  Doing so suggests that Catholics are not really serious about what the Church teaches regarding grave and immoral offenses against the life of the unborn."

Blair called for Catholics to respect the office of the President, and pray for Mr. Odama's conversion, but added: "An invitation to speak and an honorary doctorate from a Catholic University go beyond the bounds of respect, and can only be a source of dismay."

On Friday, Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger of the Evansville, Ind. diocese said that President Odama "has pandered himself to the pro-choice movement," and thus by inviting him Notre Dame and its president "are by affinity also pandering to the pro-choice movement."  The bishop agreed with Bishop D'Arcy, who criticized the school for apparently having "chosen prestige over truth."

The Evansville bishop called it ironic that Odama would be given an honorary law degree, as he said, "Clearly that degree will not include the moral law."

"If so, then the honor is shallow - indeed empty - as God is the source from which all law is derived," he continued.

"God is truth. God is the author and guardian of all human life. God does not allow for selective obedience. Do Father Jenkins and the Board of Trustees by their decision see any disconnect of themselves from the Infinite Truth?"

In a preview of his letter to Fr. Jenkins given to the Daily Journal, Bishop Joseph Latino of Jackson, Miss., wrote that he feels the university has sacrificed the church's teaching concerning the sacredness of life for the distinction of having the nation's first African-American president speak at its commencement.

The Notre Dame alumni watchdog group Project Sycamore is circulating a petition against the invitation which states in part: "The ineradicable facts that will stamp this occasion are the University's decision to inscribe in the University roll of honorees the name of the most pro-abortion President in the nation's history and its choice of him as the person to speak to the 2009 graduates about the values they should hold dear."  (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/oppose_Odama/)  (For more information on Project Sycamore, go to: http://www.sycamoretrust.org./)

Another petition, circulated by the Cardinal Newman Society, has been signed by over 320,000 individuals. (See: http://www.notredamescandal.com)

The bishops who have so far expressed disapproval of Notre Dame's invitation to Odama (in alphabetical order) are:

1. Bishop John D'Arcy - Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN
2. Bishop Samuel Aquila - Fargo, ND
3. Bishop Gregory Aymond - Austin, TX
4. Bishop Gerald Barbarito - Palm Beach, FL
5. Bishop Leonard Blair - Toledo, OH
6. Archbishop Daniel Buechlein - Indianapolis, IN
7. Bishop Robert Baker - Birmingham, AL
8. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz - Lincoln, NE
9. Archbishop Eusebius Beltran - Oklahoma City, OK
10. Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú - San Antonio, TX
11. Bishop Paul Coakley - Salina, KS
12. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo - Houston, TX
13. Archbishop Timothy Dolan - New York, NY
14. Bishop Thomas Doran - Rockford, IL
15. Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty - Scranton, PA
16. Bishop Robert Finn - Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO
17. Cardinal Francis George - Chicago, IL; President, USCCB
18. Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger - Evansville, IN
19. Archbishop José Gomez - San Antonio, TX
20. Bishop William Higi - Lafayette, IN
21. Archbishop Alfred Hughs - New Orleans, LA
22. Bishop Joseph Latino - Jackson, MS
23. Bishop Jerome Listecki - La Crosse, WI
24. Bishop William E. Lori - Bridgeport, CT
25. Bishop George Lucas - Springfield, IL
26. Bishop Robert Lynch - St. Petersburg, FL
27. Bishop Joseph Martino - Scranton, PA
28. Bishop Charles Morlino - Madison, WI
29. Bishop George Murry - Youngstown, OH
30. Archbishop John J. Myers - Newark, NJ
31. Bishop R. Walker Nickless - Sioux City, IA
32. Archbishop John C. Nienstedt - St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN
33. Archbishop Edwin O'Brien - Baltimore, MD
34. Bishop Thomas Olmsted - Phoenix, AZ
35. Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk - Cincinnati, OH
36. Bishop Kevin Rhoades - Harrisburg, PA
37. Bishop Alexander Sample - Marquette, MI
38. Bishop Edward J. Slattery - Tulsa, OK
39. Bishop Richard Stika - Knoxville, TN
40. Bishop Anthony Taylor - Little Rock, AR
41. Bishop Robert Vasa - Baker, OR
42. Bishop Thomas Wenski - Orlando, FL

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Canon lawyer: Notre Dame Prez reasoning "too bizarre for words"...

"There is much needed in change We see, My children, in the schools: both your public schools and your private schools, even those who call themselves Catholic. They are Catholic, My children, in name only, for they have sold themselves for pieces of silver." - Our Lady of the Roses, December 31, 1974

LifeSiteNews.com reported on April 14, 2009:

A prominent American canon lawyer has issued a stinging criticism of the reasoning given by Notre Dame's president Fr. John Jenkins, by which he defends the school's invitation of President Odama to speak and receive an honorary law degree, calling Jenkins' argumentation "too bizarre for words."

Canon lawyer Ed Peters responded to correspondence from Fr. Jenkins to Notre Dame trustees, which was obtained and published exclusively by LifeSiteNews.com last week.  In the memo, Jenkins told trustees that he considers the invitation to honor Odama to be faithful to the "letter and the spirit" of the U.S. Bishops Conference 2004 document "Catholics in Political Life."  (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040808.html) 

Several of the bishops who have condemned the scandal, including USCCB President Cardinal Francis George, have indicated that Notre Dame's invitation violates the 2004 directive. The document forbids Catholic schools from honoring "those who act in defiance of our [Catholic] fundamental moral principles."

Fr. Jenkins had written: "Because the title of the document is 'Catholics in Political Life', we understood this to refer to honoring Catholics whose actions are not in accord with our moral principles."  Jenkins cited "fellow university presidents" who informed him "that their bishops have told them that in fact it is only Catholic politicians who are referred to in this document."

In response, Peters commented on his blog "In the Light of the Law" on Thursday: "Is the man serious?"

"Does Jenkins really think that Catholic bishops would countenance a Catholic institution honoring a philanthropic murderer, or a free-speech crusading pornographer, or a right-to-privacy pimp, provided merely that the awardee was not a Catholic?

"Really, that's too bizarre for words."

Peters also questioned Jenkins' statement that his interpretation "was supported by canon lawyers we consulted, who advised us that, by definition, only Catholics who implicitly recognize the authority of Church teaching can act in 'defiance' of it." 

"What's this 'by definition' stuff? ... A definition of 'defiance'?" Peters asked.  "The word 'defiance' is not in the Code. Even the Latin pertinacia does not seem to apply to our facts, so, what exactly is Jenkins talking about here?

"I don't know, but whatever Jenkins or his canonists hope it means, the sentence he/they put so much stock in was obviously not drafted to stand up to close textual parsing," he said.  "Else, all a Catholic would have to do to avoid the charge of acting in 'defiance' of Church authority would be to decline recognizing Church authority in the first place!"

To Jenkins' assertion that giving Odama an honorary doctorate does not "suggest support" for his pro-abortion record, Peters countered, "An honorary doctorate of law does not 'suggest' support for a politicians' legal philosophy, no, instead it screams it."

(To view Dr. Peters' full commentary: http://www.canonlaw.info/2009/04/fr-jenkins-discovers-canon-...)

See recent LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Leaked: ND Prez Comment on USCCB Document Prohibiting Honoring Pro-Abortion Politicians
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040808.html

Bishops Bruskewitz, Aquila Issue Stinging Condemnations to "Formerly Catholic" Notre Dame
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040906.html

Notre Dame's Bishop on Odama's Pro-Abortion Views: "No One Is Allowed to Say Who Sits at Table of Life"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040804.html

Former Vatican Ambassador: Notre Dame Scandal Will "Wake Catholics Up"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040907.html

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"Utterly appalled" Bishop Bruskewitz issues stinging condemnation to "formerly Catholic" Notre Dame...

"There is much needed in change We see, My children, in the schools: both your public schools and your private schools, even those who call themselves Catholic. They are Catholic, My children, in name only, for they have sold themselves for pieces of silver." - Our Lady of the Roses, December 31, 1974

LifeSiteNews.com reported on April 9, 2009:

Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of the Lincoln Diocese today made public his condemnation of the Notre Dame scandal. His comments bring the number of U.S. bishops to 30 protesting the school's invitation to President Odama to speak at commencement and receive an honorary law degree May 17.

Bishop Bruskewitz supplied the letter addressed to University president Fr. John Jenkins today to the Cardinal Newman Society, who is hosting a petition against the scandal, now bearing well over a quarter million signatures (http://www.notredamescandal.com).

"Permit me to add my name as well to the long list of Bishops of the Catholic Church who are utterly appalled at your dedication to immorality and wrong-doing represented by your support for the obscenity called 'The Vagina Monologues' and your absolute indifference to the murderous abortion program and beliefs of this President of the United States," reads the brief letter, dated April 3. 

"The fact that you have some sort of past connection with the State of Nebraska makes it all the more painful that the Catholic people here have to see your betrayal of the moral teachings of the Catholic Church," Bruskewitz wrote.  "I can assure you of my prayers for your conversion, and for the conversion of your formerly Catholic University."

"Faithful Catholics will be thankful for Bishop Bruskewitz's clear and pointed criticism of the abuse of Catholic identity at Notre Dame and should remain vigilant in their prayers for an end to the scandal," commented Patrick J. Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society.

The bishops who have so far gone public with their disapproval of Notre Dame's invitation of Odama (in alphabetical order) are:

1. Bishop John D'Arcy - Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN
2. Bishop Gregory Aymond - Austin, TX
3. Archbishop Daniel Buechlein - Indianapolis, IN
4. Bishop Robert Baker - Birmingham, AL
5. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz - Lincoln, NE
6. Archbishop Eusebius Beltran - Oklahoma City, OK
7. Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú - San Antonio, TX
8. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo - Houston, TX
9. Archbishop Timothy Dolan - New York, NY
10. Bishop Thomas Doran - Rockford, IL
11. Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty - Scranton, PA
12. Cardinal Francis George - Chicago, IL; President, USCCB
13. Archbishop José Gomez - San Antonio, TX
14. Bishop William Higi - Lafayette, IN
15. Archbishop Alfred Hughs - New Orleans, LA
16. Bishop Jerome Listecki - La Crosse, WI
17. Bishop William E. Lori - Bridgeport, CT
18. Bishop Robert Lynch - St. Petersburg, FL
19. Bishop Joseph Martino - Scranton, PA
20. Bishop Charles Morlino - Madison, WI
21. Bishop George Murry - Youngstown, OH
22. Archbishop John J. Myers - Newark, NJ
23. Bishop R. Walker Nickless - Sioux City, IA
24. Archbishop John C. Nienstedt - St. Paul-Minneapolis, MD
25. Archbishop Edwin O'Brien - Baltimore, MD
26. Bishop Thomas Olmsted - Phoenix, AZ
27. Bishop Kevin Rhoades - Harrisburg
28. Bishop Alexander Sample - Marquette, MI
29. Bishop Edward J. Slattery - Tulsa, OK
30. Bishop Anthony Taylor - Little Rock, AR

See recent LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Leaked: ND Prez Comment on USCCB Document Prohibiting Honoring Pro-Abortion Politicians
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040808.html

Notre Dame's Bishop on Odama's Pro-Abortion Views: "No One Is Allowed to Say Who Sits at Table of Life"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040804.html

Four More Makes 29 Bishops, 10 Holy Cross Priests Condemn ND Scandal
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040807.html 

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15 bishops total have so far protested the Notre Dame scandal

Bishop Doran: Notre Dame should consider changing name to "Humanist University"...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on April 2, 2009:

Two more bishops have joined the chorus of Catholics and fellow bishops protesting the decision of the Catholic University of Notre Dame to invite President O. to be this year's commencement speaker and to receive an honorary doctorate.

Bishop Thomas Doran of the Rockford, Illinois diocese, and Archbishop Eusebius Beltran of the Oklahoma City Diocese have both made public their disapproval of the university's decision, with Bishop Doran suggesting that the university should change its name to the "Northwestern Indiana Humanist University."

Bishop Doran recently provided The Cardinal Newman Society with a copy of a letter he sent to University of Notre Dame President Father John Jenkins expressing his "dismay and outrage" at the decision to honor President O. (To read the complete letter, see: http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CardinalNewmanSociety/t...)

Bishop Doran wrote that Fr. Jenkins should rescind the invitation "and so avoid dishonoring the practicing Catholics of the United States, including those of this Diocese."

"This decision of your flies in the face of the expressed directive of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in the year 2004, that Catholic institutions not so honor those who profess opposition to the Church's doctrine on abortion and embryonic stem cell research," he said.

In a separate letter to The Cardinal Newman Society, the bishop indicated that he has advised the people of the Rockford diocese how to make their own sentiments on the matter known to the authorities at Notre Dame.

The bishop suggested that if Fr. Jenkins fails to rescind "this unfortunate decision" he should have the "decency" to change the university name to something like, "The Fighting Irish College" or "Northwestern Indiana Humanist University."

"On behalf of our more than 20,000 members and the nearly one quarter of a million signers of the petition opposing Notre Dame's actions, I want to thank Bishop Doran for his strong public witness and letter encouraging Fr. Jenkins to rescind the commencement invite to President O.," said CNS President Patrick Reilly.

Bishop Beltran of Oklahoma City, in a statement published on NewsOK, said, "President O., by word and action, has approved of abortion and other atrocities against human life. Therefore he deserves no recognition at a Catholic institution." According to NewsOK the bishop said that more comprehensive remarks by him on the issue would be published in the April 5 edition of the Sooner Catholic, the archdiocese's official newspaper.

A petition launched by the Cardinal Newman Society on the same day that it was announced that O. had accepted the invitation to speak at the university has been signed by over 230,000 individuals. (To sign the petition: http://www.notredamescandal.com)

The bishops who have so far gone public with their disapproval of Notre Dame's invitation of O. (in alphabetical order) are:

1) Bishop John D'Arcy - Fort Wayne-South Bend
2) Bishop Gregory Aymond - Austin A
3) Bishop Eusebius Beltran - Oklahoma City
4) Cardinal Daniel DiNardo - Houston
5) Archbishop Timothy Dolan - New York
6) Bishop Thomas Doran - Rockford
7) Cardinal Francis George - Chicago, President, USCCB
8) Bishop Robert Lynch - St. Petersburg
9) Bishop Charles Morlino - Madison
10) Archbishop John J. Myers - Newark
11) Bishop R. Walker Nickless - Sioux City.
12) Archbishop John C. Nienstedt - Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota
13) Bishop Thomas Olmsted - Phoneix
14) Bishop Kevin Rhoades - Harrisburg
15) Reverend Edward J. Slattery, Tulsa

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Notre Dame's Bishop Will Not Attend Odama-Honoring Graduation, Criticizes University's Decision
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032408.html

Notre Dame Faces Groundswell of Outrage after Announcing Plan to Honor Odama
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032312.html

Notre Dame President: School "Honored" by Odama's Acceptance to Speak and Receive Honorary Degree
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032306.html

Catholic Notre Dame University to Give Odama Honorary Degree on May 17, Against USCCB Policy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032005.html

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Three more Bishops, Rush Limbaugh join chorus of condemnation for ND scandal...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on March 31, 2009:

Another archbishop and two more U.S. bishops have swelled the ranks of Catholics and conservatives who are expressing criticism of the University of Notre Dame's invitation to President O. to give the school's commencement address and receive an honorary law degree May 17.  Conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh also slammed the move by Notre Dame during his show on Friday.

Today the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) published a letter to the school by Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota Archbishop John C. Nienstedt, who protested the "egregious decision" on the part of Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins to honor O.

Listing President O.'s record against life, Nienstedt wrote, "It is a travesty that the University of Notre Dame, considered by many to be a Catholic University, should give its public support to such an anti-Catholic politician.

"I hope that you are able to reconsider this decision. If not, please do not expect me to support your University in the future," he concluded.

Nienstedt is the eighth bishop, and the second archbishop, to condemn the decision since Notre Dame's own Bishop John D'Arcy criticized the move and announced his intention to boycott the ceremony last week.

At the second annual Illinois Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Chicago on Friday, Bishop Morlino of Madison said he would not have invited O., according to the Catholic Citizens of Illinois. 

Bishop Robert Lynch of the diocese of St. Petersburg also commented on the scandal on his blog last Friday, saying the invitation "is a very prestigious platform to offer a President who is leading the battle for an expansion of abortion rights which may ultimately end up being unparalleled in recent history." 

Lynch, however, emphasized the need for outraged Catholics to avoid "uncivil and venomous" rhetoric that "ill-serves the cause of life." 

The bishop noted that most Notre Dame alumni he knew "are ardently pro-life and like myself are probably disappointed with their alma mater," He added that "they and I will choose to convey our sadness to the Board of Trustees and Administration in a calm and dignified manner."

Conservative talk radio guru Rush Limbaugh discussed the scandal on Friday's edition of his program.  Limbaugh, who is not a Catholic, said the invite "does not pass the common sense test."

"I understand the tradition of inviting newly elected presidents. I understand the historical nature of President O.'s election. I understand all of that," he said.  "But do none of our institutions value their principles anymore or their core beliefs or their religious foundations? Are they so easily discarded for public relations or political correctness?"

Limbaugh said it was a "shock" to him that "something as venerable as Notre Dame University" would cast aside their core beliefs "for reasons of comparitively no substance."  "Does not the tradition of having the newly elected president do your commencement address pale in comparison to the foundational building blocks of the university and the church on which it's founded?" he asked. 

Referring to a large mosaic of Christ on display over Notre Dame's football field, Limbaugh mused: "Are they going to have to cover up Touchdown Jesus the day O. makes his speech?

"How could they not?"

An online petition sponsored by the Cardinal Newman Society protesting O.'s appearance at the university has gathered over 221,000 signatures as of Tuesday morning. (http://www.notredamescandal.com)

For a list of contact information regarding the Notre Dame scandal, go to: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032706.html

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Newly Appointed Archbishop of New York on ND Scandal: "They Made a Big Mistake"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09033001.html

Houston Cardinal Becomes Highest Ranking Official, 4th Bishop to Condemn Notre Dame Scandal
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032717.html

Notre Dame's Bishop Will Not Attend Odama-Honoring Graduation, Criticizes University's Decision
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032408.html

Notre Dame Faces Groundswell of Outrage after Announcing Plan to Honor Odama
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032312.html

Notre Dame President: School "Honored" by Odama's Acceptance to Speak and Receive Honorary Degree
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032306.html

Catholic Notre Dame University to Give Odama Honorary Degree on May 17, Against USCCB Policy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032005.html 

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Newly appointed Archbishop of New York on ND scandal: "They made a big mistake"...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on March 30, 2009:

The bishop recently appointed to head up the archdiocese of New York - one of the most influential positions in the U.S. Catholic Church - said in an interview yesterday that Notre Dame "made a big mistake" by inviting President O. to receive an honorary degree and give the commencement address at the school on May 17.

"They made a big mistake ... in an issue that is very close to the heart of Catholic world view, namely, the protection of innocent life in the womb, [O.] has unfortunately taken a position very much at odds with the Church," Archbishop Timothy Dolan told host Charlie Sykes on the "Sunday Insight" program of Milwaukee station TMJ4.

Dolan is the fifth bishop to condemn the university's decision since the March 20 announcement that O. had accepted the invitation, and announcement sparked a wave of protest from the American Catholic community. 

Last Friday, the Texas Catholic Herald published Houston Cardinal Nicholas DiNardo's "Shepherd's Message" in which the Cardinal said the "very disappointing" invite "requires charitable but vigorous critique."

"Though I can understand the desire by a university to have the prestige of a commencement address by the President of the United States, the fundamental moral issue of the inestimable worth of the human person from conception to natural death is a principle that soaks all our lives as Catholics, and all our efforts at formation, especially education at Catholic places of higher learning," wrote DiNardo.

Notre Dame's own Bishop John D'Arcy responded soon after the scandal broke with a statement condemning the invitation and announcing his decision to boycott the graduation ceremony.

An online petition sponsored by the Cardinal Newman Society has gathered over 212,000 signatures as of Monday morning. (http://www.notredamescandal.com)

For a list of contact information regarding the Notre Dame scandal, go to: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032706.html

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Houston Cardinal Becomes Highest Ranking Official, 4th Bishop to Condemn Notre Dame Scandal
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032717.html

Notre Dame's Bishop Will Not Attend O.-Honoring Graduation, Criticizes University's Decision
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032408.html

Petition against O.'s Notre Dame Honor Skyrockets Past 103,000 Signatures in Four Days
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032410.html

Notre Dame Faces Groundswell of Outrage after Announcing Plan to Honor O.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032312.html

Notre Dame President: School "Honored" by O.'s Acceptance to Speak and Receive Honorary Degree
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032306.html

Catholic Notre Dame University to Give O. Honorary Degree on May 17, Against USCCB Policy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032005.html

********

Houston Cardinal becomes highest ranking official, 4th Bishop to condemn Notre Dame scandal...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on March 27, 2009:

American Cardinal Nicholas DiNardo has criticized the decision of the Catholic University of Notre Dame to honor President B. O. by inviting him to be this year's commencement speaker and awarding him with an honorary doctorate. The Cardinal said that the "disappointing" invitation "requires charitable but vigorous critique."

The Cardinal's remarks constitute the highest-ranking criticism yet from a member of the Catholic Church hierarchy against the University's decision. So far three other American bishops have criticized the invitation, including the bishop of the diocese where Notre Dame is located, Bishop John D'Arcy.

In his weekly "Shepherd's Message" column, published today in the print edition of the Texas Catholic Herald, and reprinted on the Whispers in the Loggia blog, Cardinal DiNardo says, "I find the invitation very disappointing.

"Though I can understand the desire by a university to have the prestige of a commencement address by the President of the United States, the fundamental moral issue of the inestimable worth of the human person from conception to natural death is a principle that soaks all our lives as Catholics, and all our efforts at formation, especially education at Catholic places of higher learning."

The president, says the cardinal, "has made clear by word and deed that he will promote abortion and will remove even those limited sanctions that control this act of violence against the human person."

Referring to a 2004 directive by U.S. bishops that Catholic schools not honor or give platform to politicians who favor abortion, the cardinal noted, "Even given the dignity of the Office of the President, this offer is still providing a platform and an award to a public figure who has been candid on his pro-abortion views.

"Particularly troubling is the Honorary Law Degree since it recognizes that the person is a 'Teacher,' in this case of the Law. I think that this decision requires charitable but vigorous critique."

For a list of contact information regarding the Notre Dame scandal, go to: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032706.html

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Bishop Olmsted: Notre Dame's O. Honor "Public Act of Disobedience to U.S. Bishops"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032605.html

Notre Dame's Bishop Will Not Attend O.-Honoring Graduation, Criticizes University's Decision
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032408.html

Petition against O.'s Notre Dame Honor Skyrockets Past 103,000 Signatures in Four Days
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032410.html

Notre Dame Faces Groundswell of Outrage after Announcing Plan to Honor Odama
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032312.html

Notre Dame President: School "Honored" by O.'s Acceptance to Speak and Receive Honorary Degree
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032306.html

Catholic Notre Dame University to Give O. Honorary Degree on May 17, Against USCCB Policy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032005.html

********

Third Bishop condemns Notre Dame scandal: "It is very clear ND does not live up to Catholic identity"...

LifeSiteNews.com reported on March 27, 2009:

A third bishop has publicly condemned an invitation to President O. by the Catholic University of Notre Dame to receive an honorary law degree and offer the commencement address on May 17.

In the latest issue of the Austin diocese's "E-pistle," Bishop Gregory Aymond states, regarding the scandal: "I, along with many other Catholics, express great disappointment and sadness that a Catholic university would honor someone who is pro-choice and who holds many values contrary to our Catholic belief.

"In the midst of such a sad situation, as Catholics we must continue to be pro-life and to proclaim with even greater strength the values of Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church.

"In my opinion, it is very clear that in this case the University of Notre Dame does not live up to its Catholic identity in giving this award and their leadership needs our prayerful support," said Bishop Aymond.

Bishop Aymond's words follow a Wednesday letter by Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix to University president Fr. John Jenkins, in which Olmsted decried the honor as a "public act of disobedience to the Bishops of the United States."  Prior to that, Notre Dame's Bishop D'Arcy issued his own criticism of the invitation and stated he would not attend the ceremony.

An online petition launched by the Cardinal Newman Society immediately after the invitation was revealed last Friday has topped 185,000 signatures (to sign the petition, go to: http://www.notredamescandal.com).

Fr. Jenkins and University spokesmen have said they do not plan to rescind the invitation despite the wave of protests.

For a list of contact information regarding the Notre Dame scandal, go to: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032706.html

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Bishop Olmsted: Notre Dame's O. Honor "Public Act of Disobedience to U.S. Bishops"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032605.html

Notre Dame's Bishop Will Not Attend O.-Honoring Graduation, Criticizes University's Decision
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032408.html

Petition against O.'s Notre Dame Honor Skyrockets Past 103,000 Signatures in Four Days
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032410.html

Notre Dame Faces Groundswell of Outrage after Announcing Plan to Honor O.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032312.html

Notre Dame President: School "Honored" by O.'s Acceptance to Speak and Receive Honorary Degree
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032306.html

Catholic Notre Dame University to Give O. Honorary Degree on May 17, Against USCCB Policy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032005.html

********

Bishop Olmsted: ND's Prez honor "public act of disobedience to U.S. Bishops"...

"There is much needed in change We see, My children, in the schools: both your public schools and your private schools, even those who call themselves Catholic. They are Catholic, My children, in name only, for they have sold themselves for pieces of silver." - Our Lady of the Roses, December 31, 1974

LifeSiteNews.com reported on March 26, 2009:

Bishop Thomas Olmsted has written a letter to University of Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins condemning the invitation to President O. to offer the school's commencement address and receive an honorary law degree on May 17.

Olmsted's letter follows a statement earlier this week by Notre Dame's own Bishop John D'Arcy, in which the bishop criticized the decision and announced his intent to boycott the ceremony. 

American Papist blogger Thomas Peters broke the news of the letter from Bishop Olmsted, dated yesterday, in which Olmsted told Jenkins he was "saddened and heavy of heart about your decision to invite President O. to speak at Notre Dame University and even to receive an honorary degree" (See: http://www.americanpapist.com/blog).

"It is a public act of disobedience to the Bishops of the United States," said the bishop, who cited the U.S. bishops' 2004 directive that pro-abortion politicians "should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

"I pray that you come to see the grave mistake of your decision, and the way that it undercuts the Church's proclamation of the Gospel of Life in our day," Olmsted concluded.

Since news broke of the invitation to O. late last Friday, Catholic leaders and Notre Dame alumni have unleashed a steady stream of protest and calls to reconsider the move.  A fast-moving online petition launched by the Cardinal Newman Society on a website formed immediately after the Friday announcement (http://www.notredamescandal.com/) has gathered over 165,000 signatures as of early Thursday afternoon.  Fr. Jenkins has said he would not rescind the offer despite protests.

To read the complete text of Bishop Olmsted's letter, see: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032606.html

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage which contains contact information:

Notre Dame's Bishop Will Not Attend O.-Honoring Graduation, Criticizes University's Decision
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032408.html

Notre Dame Faces Groundswell of Outrage after Announcing Plan to Honor O.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032312.html

Notre Dame President: School "Honored" by O.'s Acceptance to Speak and Receive Honorary Degree
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032306.html

Catholic Notre Dame University to Give O. Honorary Degree on May 17, Against USCCB Policy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032005.html 

********

Petition against Prez's Notre Dame honor skyrockets past 103,000 signatures in four days...

"There is much needed in change We see, My children, in the schools: both your public schools and your private schools, even those who call themselves Catholic. They are Catholic, My children, in name only, for they have sold themselves for pieces of silver." - Our Lady of the Roses, December 31, 1974

LifeSiteNews.com reported on March 24, 2009:

As of Tuesday night, over 103,000 signatures have poured into an online petition launched this past Friday by the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS). The petition opposes Notre Dame's honoring President O. with an invitation to offer the commencement address and receive an honorary law degree on May 17. 

CNS introduced the petition on a new website dedicated to the scandal, http://www.notredamescandal.com, almost immediately after the White House and Notre Dame's website simultaneously broke the news on Friday afternoon that O. had accepted the invitation.  Since then, the petition has gathered signatures at lightning speed, averaging 1,000 new signatures every 15 minutes. 

"People are outraged, and the alumni of Notre Dame in particular are communicating to each other," CNS president Patrick J. Reilly said in an interview with LifeSiteNews.com today.  Reilly noted that he recently spoke with a Notre Dame alumnus who said he "barely slept because all day yesterday, and much of the night, he was on email and on the phone with other alumni." 

"It's amazing the outrage that we're seeing," he added.

Reilly said he did not expect such a large response.  "We see outrages all the time, and I think this for many people was the last straw," he said.  "The president has been waging a campaign of human destruction with his policies, and abortion, and stem-cell research, and now trying to eliminate conscience protections for healthcare workers. 

"And in the meantime, Catholic institutions - in particular Catholic universities - have been very quick to abandon their Catholic mission for the sake of prestige.  And this is probably the most prominent Catholic University hosting the most prominent leader of the Culture of Death."

Responding to Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkin's statement that the invitation would stand, and was intended to recognize O.'s "accomplishments and leadership," Reilly referred to Notre Dame Bishop John D'Arcy's condemnation of the invite, which invoked a 2004 directive by U.S. bishops not to honor pro-abortion politicians.  (To see the bishop's full statement, go to: http://www.diocesefwsb.org/COMMUNICATIONS/statements.htm)

"Fr. Jenkins' bishop has made it clear that this is a violation of the bishops' policy against honoring pro-abortion politicians," said Reilly.

Jenkins had argued that he was following the bishops' directive not to give pro-abortion politicians honors, "which would suggest support for their actions," because O.'s specific position on life issues is "not what we're honoring." 

"So Fr. Jenkins needs to rethink his argument," concluded Reilly.  "And one would hope that now that the bishop has made it clear that Fr. Jenkins' thinking is wrong, that perhaps there will be a reconsideration of this."

Reilly, who recently met with Church officials in Rome, said he thought the scandal would "absolutely" receive attention in the Vatican, as he had been "pleasantly surprised by how well-aware" Vatican officials were of recent scandals in American Catholic universities.

To contact Notre Dame:
Phone: (574) 631-5000
email form: http://president.nd.edu/contact-us

Notre Dame Fellows:
The Fellows are the "successors and associates in office" of the original founders of the University

Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., President, U. of Portland
(503) 943-7101

Patrick F. McCartan, Senior partner, Jones Day
(216) 586-7272
Email: pmccartan@jonesday.com

William M. Goodyear, CEO, Navigant Consulting
main: (312) 583-5700

list of all Notre Dame Fellows: http://www.nd.edu/leadership/fellows/ 

To contact the Notre Dame Alumni Association Board Members
https://secure.alumni.nd.edu/site/c.luIZLdMOJpE/b.2660531/k....

To contact the USCCB:

Cardinal Francis George, President
Archdiocese of Chicago
phone: 312-751- 8200
email: mfox@archchicago.org

Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, Chairman, Committee on Education
Diocese of Worcester
phone: 508-791-7171
committee email: catholiceducation@usccb.org

To contact Notre Dame's bishop:
Bishop John D'Arcy, Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese
Fort Wayne Chancery
phone: (260) 422-4611

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Notre Dame Faces Groundswell of Outrage after Announcing Plan to Honor Odama
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032312.html

Notre Dame President: School "Honored" by Odama's Acceptance to Speak and Receive Honorary Degree
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032306.html

Catholic Notre Dame University to Give Odama Honorary Degree on May 17, Against USCCB Policy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032005.html

********

Bishop: "Notre Dame must ask itself if it has chosen prestige over truth"

Notre Dame's Bishop will not attend Prez-honoring graduation, criticizes University's decision...

"There is much needed in change We see, My children, in the schools: both your public schools and your private schools, even those who call themselves Catholic. They are Catholic, My children, in name only, for they have sold themselves for pieces of silver." - Our Lady of the Roses, December 31, 1974

LifeSiteNews.com reported on March 24, 2009:

The University of Notre Dame's Bishop John D'Arcy released a statement this afternoon criticizing the university's decision to invite President O. to offer the commencement address and receive an honorary law degree on May 17. 

Bishop D'Arcy wrote that he decided not to attend the graduation - a decision he said was "not an attack on anyone, but is in defense of the truth about human life."

"President O.," said the bishop, "has recently reaffirmed, and has now placed in public policy, his long-stated unwillingness to hold human life as sacred. While claiming to separate politics from science, he has in fact separated science from ethics and has brought the American government, for the first time in history, into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life."

"Even as I continue to ponder in prayer these events, which many have found shocking, so must Notre Dame," wrote the bishop.  "Indeed, as a Catholic University, Notre Dame must ask itself, if by this decision it has chosen prestige over truth."

D'Arcy also explained that while he has "always revered the Office of the Presidency," and means no disrespect to the president, "a bishop must teach the Catholic faith 'in season and out of season,' and he teaches not only by his words — but by his actions."

Reflecting on the U.S. bishops' statement disallowing honors to pro-abortion politicians, Bishop D'Arcy wrote: "Indeed, the measure of any Catholic institution is not only what it stands for, but also what it will not stand for."

The bishop said that he was not informed about the invitation until shortly before the White House announcement confirming Odama's acceptance Friday afternoon. 

The bishop ended by invoking "Our Lady to intercede for the university named in her honor, that it may recommit itself to the primacy of truth over prestige."

Following a deluge of outrage from tens of thousands of concerned Catholics following the announcement that O. had accepted the invitation to speak, University president Fr. John Jenkins stated over the weekend that he would not reconsider the invitation.

To view the bishop's full statement, go to: http://www.diocesefwsb.org/COMMUNICATIONS/statements.htm

To contact Notre Dame:
Phone: (574) 631-5000
email form: http://president.nd.edu/contact-us

Notre Dame Fellows:
Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., President, U. of Portland
(503) 943-7101

Patrick F. McCartan, Senior partner, Jones Day
(216) 586-7272
Email: pmccartan@jonesday.com

William M. Goodyear, CEO, Navigant Consulting
main: (312) 583-5700

list of all Notre Dame Fellows: http://www.nd.edu/leadership/fellows/

To contact the USCCB:

Cardinal Francis George, President
Archdiocese of Chicago
phone: 312-751- 8200
email: mfox@archchicago.org

Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, Chairman, Committee on Education
Diocese of Worcester
phone: 508-791-7171
committee email: catholiceducation@usccb.org

To contact Notre Dame's bishop:
Bishop John D'Arcy, Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese
Fort Wayne Chancery
phone: (260) 422-4611

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Notre Dame Faces Groundswell of Outrage after Announcing Plan to Honor Odama
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032312.html

Notre Dame President: School "Honored" by Odama's Acceptance to Speak and Receive Honorary Degree
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032306.html

Catholic Notre Dame University to Give Odama Honorary Degree on May 17, Against USCCB Policy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032005.html 

*********

ND Prof McInerny: "Notre Dame has forfeited its right to call itself a Catholic university."

Notre Dame faces groundswell of outrage after announcing plan to honor President...

"There is much needed in change We see, My children, in the schools: both your public schools and your private schools, even those who call themselves Catholic. They are Catholic, My children, in name only, for they have sold themselves for pieces of silver." - Our Lady of the Roses, December 31, 1974

LifeSiteNews.com reported on March 23, 2009:

Within hours of the announcement that Notre Dame has invited President O. to issue the school's commencement address and receive an honorary law degree, thousands of Catholics shook cyberspace - and Notre Dame's telephone switchboard - with outrage and demands to rescind the invitation.

Soon after the simultaneous statements by the White House and Notre Dame were released Friday afternoon, the voicemail boxes of University administrators were reportedly full with complaints against Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkin's decision to honor the leader many refer to as "the abortion president." 

Leading the charge is the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS), which launched a website immediately following the announcement, offering a petition to combat the school's plans (http://www.notredamescandal.com/).  CNS reported Monday afternoon that the petition topped 33,500 signers in 72 hours, averaging 270 signatures an hour, and that the society has received almost 25,000 emails decrying the scandal. 

"It is an outrage and a scandal that 'Our Lady's University,' one of the premier Catholic universities in the United States, would bestow such an honor on President O. given his clear support for policies and laws that directly contradict fundamental Catholic teachings on life and marriage," the petition reads.  CNS president Patrick J. Reilly also faxed a letter to Notre Dame's Bishop John D'Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend requesting intervention.  

CatholicVote.com has joined the Society's effort with an email campaign to promote the petition. 

"For a prominent Catholic institution to give President O. the benefit of their platform is shocking and disappointing," said CatholicVote.com president Brian Burch.  A commencement speaker, he said, is held out as "someone students ought to emulate and admire. There's a clear contradiction between his policies and that which a Catholic institution is presumably bound to promote."

CNS also reports that Project Sycamore, an organization dedicated to protecting Notre Dame's Catholic identity, is organizing alumni to protest the honor.

Ralph McInerny, a prominent Catholic writer and philosophy professor at Notre Dame since 1955, said in an article on The Catholic Thing that, "By inviting B. Odama to be the 2009 commencement speaker, Notre Dame has forfeited its right to call itself a Catholic university."

"Not to put too fine a point on it, this is a deliberate thumbing of the collective nose at the Roman Catholic Church to which Notre Dame purports to be faithful," he wrote.  "Faithful? Tell it to Julian the Apostate."

"For one whose fifty-four year career as a member of the Notre Dame faculty is coming to an end this June," wrote McInerny, "it is a bitter thing to reflect on the 2009 commencement speaker. ... One has groaned at previous selections, but the invitation to B. O. is far from being the usual effort of the university to get into warm contact with the power figures of the day. It is an unequivocal abandonment of any pretense at being a Catholic university.

"Lip service may be paid to the teaching on abortion, but it is no impediment to upward mobility, to the truly vulgar lust to be welcomed into secular society, whether on the part of individuals or institutions," he continued. 

A National Reporter Online symposium article gathered the words of several high-profile Catholics, including two Notre Dame professors, weighing in on the news. (http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTBlNmY2NzM4ODdkNDY0NzR...==)

Ethicist and moral theologian Pia de Solenni suggested that the invitation "could be an excellent opportunity for Notre Dame gently and publicly to remind the nation of the university's Catholic identity and the incompatibility of the president's hostile actions with this identity.

"At the same time, the university could extend an invitation to dialogue in hopes that the president could come to respect these beliefs even if he does not agree with them," wrote Solenni, who emphasized that "it would have to be eminently clear to all on the part of the university that a tension exists between its professed values and the president's actions."

CNS president Patrick J. Reilly, however, was pessimistic about the possible effects of the invitation.  "This is not an academic event; it is an honors ceremony," he wrote.  "There will be no questions or dialogue, nothing learned. ...We have been betrayed."

"The invitation to deliver a commencement address, especially when coupled with the award of an honorary degree, is not a neutral act," wrote Catholic author George Weigel.  "It's an act by which a Catholic institution of higher learning says, 'This is a life worth emulating according to our understanding of the true, the good, and the beautiful.'" Weigel added it was "frankly beyond my imagining how Notre Dame can say that" of the broadly pro-abortion president.  

Pro-life leaders quickly joined the chorus of condemnation.

"American Life League joins the Cardinal Newman Society and all Catholics of good will in condemning Notre Dame University's defamation of Our Lady through its unconscionable invitation to the leading symbol, hero and darling of the culture of death," stated American Life League President Judie Brown, who called the invitation "disgusting pandering to the culture of death" and urged constituents to cease funding the University if it persisted.

"Father Jenkins cannot expect pro-life Catholics to stand back and allow the most pro-abortion president in U.S. history to make a mockery of Notre Dame's Catholic identity," said Pro-Life League National Director Joe Scheidler, himself a graduate of Notre Dame.

Fr. Jenkins insisted over the weekend, after the protests began, that the invitation would remain.

To contact Notre Dame:
Phone: (574) 631-5000
email form: http://president.nd.edu/contact-us

Notre Dame Fellows:
Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., President, U. of Portland
(503) 943-7101

Patrick F. McCartan, Senior partner, Jones Day
(216) 586-7272
Email: pmccartan@jonesday.com

William M. Goodyear, CEO, Navigant Consulting
main: (312) 583-5700

list of all Notre Dame Fellows: http://www.nd.edu/leadership/fellows/

To contact the USCCB:

Cardinal Francis George, President
Archdiocese of Chicago
phone: 312-751- 8200
email: mfox@archchicago.org

Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, Chairman, Committee on Education
Diocese of Worcester
phone: 508-791-7171
committee email: catholiceducation@usccb.org

To contact Notre Dame's bishop:
Bishop John D'Arcy, Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese
Fort Wayne Chancery
phone: (260) 422-4611

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Notre Dame President: School "Honored" by Odama's Acceptance to Speak and Receive Honorary Degree
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032306.html

Catholic Notre Dame University to Give Odama Honorary Degree on May 17, Against USCCB Policy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032005.html

********

Notre Dame President: School "honored" by Prez's acceptance to speak and receive honorary degree...

"There is much needed in change We see, My children, in the schools: both your public schools and your private schools, even those who call themselves Catholic. They are Catholic, My children, in name only, for they have sold themselves for pieces of silver." - Our Lady of the Roses, December 31, 1974

LifeSiteNews.com reported on March 23, 2009:

In an interview with Notre Dame's "Observer" newspaper, Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins has responded to a deluge of criticism from Catholics and pro-lifers for the school's commencement invitation to President O.

Both the White House and the Notre Dame website announced late Friday afternoon that O. had agreed to offer the commencement address and receive an honorary law degree at the school on May 17.

Jenkins said he does not "foresee circumstances" that would cause Notre Dame to rescind the invitation.  Over the weekend, thousands of Catholics, including Notre Dame alumni, set the Internet ablaze and overwhelmed Notre Dame's switchboard with petitions to withdraw the offer. 

"We have invited the president and he's honored us by accepting," said Jenkins, adding that the school was "delighted" to have O. join the list of presidents that have addressed Notre Dame. 

Responding to outrage that the nation's premier Catholic institution of higher learning invited O., who has been called the most pro-abortion president in history, Jenkins said the invitation "should in no way be taken as condoning or endorsing his positions" on life issues.

"We are not ignoring the critical issue of the protection of life. On the contrary, we invited him because we care so much about those issues, and we hope for this to be the basis of an engagement with him," Jenkins said.  "You cannot change the world if you shun the people you want to persuade, and if you cannot persuade them show respect for them and listen to them."

Jenkins said that the school wants to recognize O.'s "very real and significant accomplishments and his leadership," while at the same time wanting to initiate "a positive engagement on the issues we care about."  "I think if he is going to reconsider his views, I think Notre Dame is the best possible place to begin that process," he said.

Jenkins also addressed the USCCB's 2004 directive that Catholic schools "should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions," arguing that the honorary degree for O. "is not intended to condone or endorse his position on specific issues regarding life."  "That's not what we're honoring," Jenkins said.

Jenkins called the President "an inspiring leader" who has addressed the nation's challenges with "intelligence, courage and honesty."  He also indicated that he spoke with Notre Dame's Bishop D'Arcy about the affair, but did not speculate how the bishop would respond.  The bishop has yet to issue a statement on the controversy.

The Observer article notes that Jenkins stands by earlier statements criticizing the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS), which launched a website immediately following the Friday announcement urging Catholics to oppose the invite.  (http://www.notredamescandal.com/)

In an April 2008 Wall Street Journal article, Jenkins had scoffed at CNS, which did not include Notre Dame in its list of schools faithful to Catholic teaching.  "The Newman Society has no ecclesiastical standing and no academic standing," said Jenkins.  "For me, it resembles nothing more than a political action committee." 

To contact Notre Dame:
Phone: (574) 631-5000
email form: http://president.nd.edu/contact-us

Notre Dame Fellows:
Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., President, U. of Portland
(503) 943-7101

Patrick F. McCartan, Senior partner, Jones Day
(216) 586-7272
Email: pmccartan@jonesday.com

William M. Goodyear, CEO, Navigant Consulting
main: (312) 583-5700

list of all Notre Dame Fellows: http://www.nd.edu/leadership/fellows/

To contact the USCCB:

Cardinal Francis George, President
Archdiocese of Chicago
phone: 312-751- 8200
email: mfox@archchicago.org

Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, Chairman, Committee on Education
Diocese of Worcester
phone: 508-791-7171
committee email: catholiceducation@usccb.org

To contact Notre Dame's bishop:
Bishop John D'Arcy, Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese
Fort Wayne Chancery
phone: (260) 422-4611

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Catholic Notre Dame University to Give Odama Honorary Degree on May 17, Against USCCB Policy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032005.html

"Your country and many countries of the world have given themselves to satan. They seek now to unite My Son's houses, churches, with the world. And know now that should this take place, when the world and My Son's Church become one, the end has been reached.
     "Pray a constant vigilance of prayer. Shout My message from the rooftops! Hurry, My children; I must beg you to make great haste, for the time is coming.” – Our Lady of the Roses, February 10, 1975 

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13 U.S. Catholic colleges caught honoring abortion advocates and dissidents
https://www.tldm.org/News8/AbortionCatholicColleges.htm

Second major study shows modern Catholic universities harm students' faith life
https://www.tldm.org/News8/CatholicUniversitiesStudentFaithLife.htm

Marymount Manhattan College no longer a Catholic institution
https://www.tldm.org/News8/MarymountManhattanCollege.htm

Crucifix on front and back door...  The only real protection against terrorists...
Jesus - "Pray and wear your sacramentals. And, also, My children, I ask you again to place a crucifix upon your door. Both front and back doors must have a crucifix. I say this to you because there will be carnage within your areas, and this will pass you by if you keep your crucifix upon your doors." (6-30-84) (Testimonies of lives and homes saved by the crucifixes.)  https://www.tldm.org/news/crucifix.htm 

Heaven’s Home Protection Packet...
Our Lord stated we must have crucifixes upon the outside of all of our outside doors. In the "Heaven’s Home Protection Packet" there are instructions, four crucifixes, and a tube of special cement for wooden or metal crucifixes. Wooden crucifixes adhere better to the doors when the aluminum strap is removed from the back. Put a light coat of cement on the back of the crucifix and then press it to the outside of the door. If you have any problems, you can call us at 616-698-6448 for assistance. This Heaven’s Home Protection Packet is available for a donation of $5.00 plus $3.00 shipping and handling. Send $8.00 to TLD Ministries, P.O. Box 40, Lowell, MI 49331. Item # P15  (Order Form)

Incredible Bayside Prophecies on the United States and Canada book . . .
We have researched the Bayside Prophecies on the United States and Canada and put these outstanding prophecies in a 360 page pocket size paperback book.   Veronica said it was very good.  It tells what is going to happen here and how to prepare for it.  Every North American must read this book!  Item #B2 Cost $5.00 (Order Form)

Your names have been written in Heaven… "It is not by accident that you are called by My Mother, for your names have been written in Heaven.... But with this great grace you have great responsibility to send this Message from Heaven throughout the world, for if you are able to recover just one more for Heaven, an additional star shall be placed in your crown." - Jesus, August 5, 1975

We encourage everyone to print or email copies of this web page to all the Bishops and all the clergy.  Also, email or send this web page to the news media and as many people as possible.

Email this page to a friend.

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P.O. Box 40                   616-698-6448
Lowell, MI 49331-0040
Revised: September 19, 2018