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More on ND
By Sarah Rozman | April 2, 2009
Almost two weeks after Notre Dame announced that President Obama would be giving the commencement address and receiving an honorary degree, the commentary continues.
A number of bishops have weighed in. Among them:
- Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston [scroll to the bottom]
“I find the invitation very disappointing. . . . Even given the dignity of Office of the President, this offer is still providing a platform and an award for 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.” - Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago
“‘So quite apart from the president’s own positions, which are well known, the problem is in that you have a Catholic university – the flagship Catholic university – do something that brought extreme embarrassment to many, many people who are Catholic,’ said the cardinal.”‘So whatever else is clear, it is clear that Notre Dame didn’t understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation, and didn’t anticipate the kind of uproar that would be consequent to the decision, at least not to the extent that it has happened,’ said George.” - Archbishop Dolan, the soon-to-be Archbishop of New York
- Archbishop Myers, Archbishop of Newark
“When we extend honors to people who do not share our respect and reverence for life in all stages, and give them a prominent stage in our parishes, schools and other institutions, we unfortunately create the perception that we endorse their public positions on these issues. We cannot justify such actions, and the Bishops have stated so clearly and strongly.” - Archbishop Nienstedt, Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis
“‘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,’ the archbishop wrote, asking President Jenkins to reconsider the decision.” - Bishop Slattery, Bishop of Tulsa, and Bishop Beltran, Bishop of Oklahoma City
- Bishop Nickless, Bishop of Sioux City
- Bishop Rhoades, Bishop of Harrisburg
American Papist has been invaluable in his coverage of the story (many of the above links came through him).
The petition at notredamescandal.com has topped 230,000 signatures.
Diogenes, over at CatholicCulture.org, traces Notre Dame’s invitation all the way back to the Land O’Lakes declaration.
And Fr. Z, over at WDTPRS, comes in from quite an interesting angle (“Perhaps people should start congratulating President Obama for embracing Catholic theology on abortion…”)…one that I might like to run with…
Topics: Bishops, Catholic Education, Colleges and Universities, Scandal | No Comments »