Bishops call on Notre Dame to defend life, cancel Obama invite

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President of Notre Dame Fr. John I. Jenkins

Eucharist is an Invitation from Jesus
Vespers Address to Priests, Seminarians, and Deacons at Notre Dame
Speech of Pope Benedict XVI at President Shimon Peres' Residence
Meeting with a group of disadvantaged young people of the rehabilitation community of the University of Notre Dame in the Church of the Sacred Heart in Sydney

South Bend, Ind., Apr 1, 2009 / 06:02 pm (CNA).- Still more U.S. bishops have written regarding the University of Notre Dame’s invitation to President Obama to deliver the spring commencement speech and receive an honorary degree. The Archbishop of Newark has encouraged the school to underscore its commitment to the Gospel and the reverence for life, while an Oklahoma bishop called the invitation a “scandal” and asked it be withdrawn.Archbishop of Newark John J. Myers, writing in a Wednesday statement, said he was “pained” to learn of the invitation.

Acknowledging that not all people believe what the Church teaches, he said the extension of honors to those who “do not share our respect and reverence for life in all stages” creates the perception that the honor is an endorsement.

“We cannot justify such actions, and the Bishops have stated so clearly and strongly,” he wrote.

“If the president of Notre Dame University truly wishes to show that his institution is rooted in Catholic teaching and tradition and committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he must underscore this message at commencement plainly and clearly, and invite everyone to embrace an immutable and all-inclusive reverence for life,” Archbishop Myers wrote.

Bishop of Tulsa Edward J. Slattery, in a Tuesday letter to University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, asked the invitation be canceled.

“As you know, President Obama is aggressively promoting abortion on demand not only here in the United States but all over the world,” he wrote, saying the president wants doctors to be required to perform an abortion whenever the mother asks.

“Faithful Catholics and all men and women of good will are appalled by the sin of abortion. It is a cancer in our society which is eating away at all the other pro-life issues because abortion destroys human life at its very beginning and has become so common,” he wrote.

“For President Obama to be honored by Notre Dame is more than a disappointment, it is a scandal – especially to young adults,” Bishop Slattery added, arguing the school’s honoring of the president will make it easier for a woman contemplating abortion to undergo the procedure.

He said the cancellation of the president’s visit would be remembered as “an affirmation of the intrinsic value of human life, a courageous example of prophetic witness worthy of a Catholic institution.”

According to the Oklahoman, Archbishop of Oklahoma City Eusebius Beltran sent a similar letter.

“President Obama, by word and action, has approved of abortion and other atrocities against human life. Therefore he deserves no recognition at a Catholic institution,” Archbishop Beltran said, noting that he will comment on the matter in the April 5 edition of the archdiocese’s newspaper, the Sooner Catholic.

Comments: 22

Subscriber comments:

Published by: Eli Scott
Germany 04/14/2009 01:29 AM EST

I support the Bishops stepping forward and requesting Notre Dame to withdraw the invitation. Christians, of all faiths, must respond as Jesus would. Jesus did call forth sinners and asked them to repent. President Obama is not repenting in his belief that the unborn can be killed. This is SIN and to call it anything else goes against the gospel. Why is it expected that to live like Jesus we must accept everyone and their behaviors. I believe we should accept but we should also challenge President Obama to live in faith. His behaviors with Life issues do against our faith. To ignore this would not be a Christian act.
ND should not bestow on him an honorary degree (Law) when he holds a fundamental belief that is against our faith. I will not support ND as an institution of Catholic Faith if they choose to live against the teaching of the church. My prayers are for the young graduates and all students for the confusion this may cause in their faith journey.

Published by: James Pirtle
Odenton, MD USA 04/12/2009 08:26 PM EST

The Board of Trustees should call for the revocation of the offer to Mr.Obama and the immediate resignation or Reverend Jenkins as president of the university.

Published by: Robert Corley
Colorado Springs/CO/USA 04/05/2009 10:19 AM EST

Confusion and Lies! How many Catholics, non-catholic Christians and even non-christians will say: I guess Nancy Pelosi and the VP, were right. I guess the Catholic Church does NOT stand unequivocably for the Unborn. Sure we hear fanatical Catholics say these things, but look! The president, who is in the forfront on making abortion both legal and required practice, just delivered the commencement address at Notre Dame and holds an honorary LAW degree. This will another "clear sign" that the vatican and pro-life Catholics are out of touch!

The stakes are high and millions of lives and souls are at risk!

Published by: HGP
Lindenhurst, IL. 04/03/2009 02:28 PM EST

Obama is for the murder of the unborn, murder of the partially born, allowing the survivor born babies of induced labor abortions to not get any medical care. Obama would allow his grandchildren to be murdered (he would not want to punish his daughters with a baby. Obama was for the murder of the disabled Terri Schiavo, he regretted his vote in the US Senate to allow Terri's family to appeal her legal murder by Judge Greer and he is for enabling sodomy through the repeal of the defense of marriage act. What amount of sophistry and verbal engineering does Father Jenkins have to go through to give Obama an honorary degree and a platform at Notre Dame's commencement.

Published by: Scott
South Bend, IN 04/03/2009 10:42 AM EST

It's not too late Fr. Jenkins. Redeem your name the prestige of the University. Can the provincial of the CSCs order Fr. to rescind the invitation? How about the USCCB?

Published by: CMS
PA - USA 04/02/2009 02:53 PM EST

We need the entire USCCB to take a stand on this one. They didn't take a stand before the election-their document "Faithful Citizenship" was so confusing that it gave no direction) - so now we're paying the price. For the sake of the flock, PLEASE SHEPHERDS: GET OUT ON THE FRONT LINE AND LEAD FOR A CHANGE! TELL THE TRUTH and BE FILLED WITH WISDOM AND COURAGE!
Notre Dame's invite to Obama is like inviting the fox into the coop. It sends the message the we Catholics REALLY don't care about the culture of life. We just like to talk about it. That's why we Catholics (no thanks to the Shepherds) voted for Obama. The USCCB needs to make its case as a group. It needs to ask Fr Jenkins to withdraw the invite to Obama. And, Fr Jenkins needs to be given early retirement. Thanks to the 13 Bishops (so far) who HAVE spoken out on the Notre Dame scandal.
Maybe the dozens of other Bishops will get the message. St Catherine of Sienna intercede for us!

Published by: Christina
PA, USA 04/02/2009 02:42 PM EST

As I understand it, 13 of our Bishops have stepped forward to call a scandal a scandal. What we need is the USCCB as a whole to not only call Fr Jenkins' invitation to Obama a major endorsement by Notre Dame of Obama's anti-life positions, but the USCCB should call for the invite to be withdrawn - and Jenkins should resign or be forced to resign! I agree whole heartedly with the writer who asked where the Bishop's were BEFORE the election! We will be constantly fighting to keep pro-life laws on the books with Obama in power. The blood of the innocents will flow as never before in this country. All of this could have been avoided - if the majority of Catholics had not supported Obama. And to do that -they needed the Shepherds ON THE FRONT LINE WITH THE TRUTH ABOUT OBAMA. I can't help but wonder - what is the problem? WHY won't our USCCB get out there and fearlessly proclaim the truth? Did they not pledge to do so with their very lives?

Published by: Nicholas
NY/NY/USA 04/02/2009 02:08 PM EST

Rate: Regular

I don't think Obama coming betrays any of Notre Dame or the Catholic Church's ideals. He is not going to go the podium at Commencement and say, "graduates, go out there, have the time of your lives, have unexpected pregnancies and then get the babies aborted." He is a great orator and motivator. I wish all these people would have protested when Bush came in 2001 when his views on the death penalty completely contradict Catholic teachings. I am a pro-life Republican, but I see no harm with Obama coming. If anything, this could be a chanve for him to see how the word catholic reflects its original defintion of UNIVERSAL and that a healthy dialouge could change his perspective. So alumni, alumnae, fans, and friends of the university, let's embrace this challenge and attempt to make the best out of it. Quit attacking Fr. John Jenkins, a great Holy Cross priest, quit attacking the Congregation of Holy Cross and for heaven's sake...all of you for once start acting like Christians. Was it not our own Lord who sat with prostitutes, tax collectors, and other sinners? Was it not John XXIII who reached out for a greater dialouge with the word? Come, let us begin the process of truly being Christian.

Published by: worth
Arlington, TX 04/02/2009 12:59 PM EST

I echo the call of bishop after bishop: please rescind, with sincerest apologies, the invitation.
As [the Faith, Reason, Truth website]plainly describes, this is not a difficult or cloudy situation; it could not be more black and white, if Notre Dame indeed wishes to consider itself (and to be considered by others) a Catholic university and live up to all that the moniker entails.

Published by: Ernesto Suarez
Kalamazoo MI USA 04/02/2009 12:52 PM EST

The Notre Dame scandal is just one more example of the abdication of their responsibility by the american catholic church leadership. Last year Father Richard Neuhaus referred to the "pretzel-like" twisted statements of bishops and priests about how to justify abortion because of "other serious problems".
I am an Argentinean-born American citizen and painfully remember the twists and turns of the Argentinean hierarchy during the Peron dictatorship. It ended as everybody but our bishops knew was going to end: with them running around while churches were set on fire. When you sell your soul, it is very difficult to get it back.

Published by: Francis Xavier T
Washington, D.C. 04/02/2009 11:38 AM EST

So far we have only nine gracious bishops out of hundreds have spoken against the president of Notre Dame John Jenkins. Remember how we got in the mess of 54% of Catholics voted for Obama at the first place? It is because majority of the bishops lead them into doing so. These bishops will remain their silent because they endorse the abortion, and they will talk wind to emphasize the fraudulent common goods is more important than saving God's children during the Easter Mass, just like they have for the Faithful Citizen Workshop. I think these bishops must have been reading the gospel according to Judah instead of Saint Mark, Luke, John, and Matthew.

Published by: Dan
Santa Fe/NM/US 04/02/2009 07:15 AM EST

Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our Life, our Sweetness, and our hope. To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then most gracious advocate, Thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us, the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us O Holy Mother of God, That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.

Published by: Silverio
NYC 04/02/2009 06:40 AM EST

The lack of respect on the part of the bishops for the president as well as for the pluralistic society in which we live is overwhelming. Solid thinking christians need to be respected, even when they see things differently than we do.

Published by: terrence netto
singapore/singapore 04/02/2009 12:24 AM EST

I am for pro-life. It is a shame to see our brothers/sisters in Christ chose fame/fortune with total regard to our most cherished law; the 10 commandments. Shamelessly; but let us pray for these peoples that fear of the Lord will prevail.

Published by: Carmela Galvez
Santa Barbara, CA 04/01/2009 11:31 PM EST

I pray for guidance on how I should respond to this dilemma. On the one hand, our commitment to be life-giving in our acts as followers of Christ imbeds in me a deep belief for all life and a deep sorrow for the act of abortion (and the suffering that leads people to choose that for themselves). Yet as I pray for guidance, there appears to be folly on the part of so many of my fellow Catholics who react in ways that appear exclusive, high-minded, and not in the spirit of reaching out to all of our brothers and sisters.

May peace be with us all, as I believe we are all sinners under the loving graces of God.

Published by: Mark
Edisn/NJ/USA 04/01/2009 10:43 PM EST

Jesus does not approve of abortion. In the Bible you will not find one reference stating that it is acceptable. One cannot claim to be Christian and promote death.

Published by: John Mason
VA 04/01/2009 09:10 PM EST

The invite should be cancelled. It's utterly dissapointing to note that he is being honored while betraying all what Catholisism stands for. It is an insult towards the whole prolife cause. I wonder how university president plans to engage Obama in any kind of conversation.

Published by: Maureen
NY 04/01/2009 08:42 PM EST

This is so sad and scandalous. It teaches the graduates that popularity and status are MORE IMPORTANT THAN DEFENDING THE EXPLOITED, AND VICTIMS OF GENOCIDE; Literally THE LEAST OF THESE. This is a horror and a scandalous sin. Boycott anything having to do with Notre Dame and all false 'Catholic' institutions.
THANKS BISHOPS! KEEP THE PRESSURE ON!

Published by: Tom Uebbing
South Bend, IN,USA 04/01/2009 08:36 PM EST

It is a great consolation to see the shepherds defending the flock with vigor.

Published by: Mark Rhoads
Falls Church, VA 04/01/2009 07:39 PM EST

Actions speak louder than words. When President Barack Obama was a member of the Illinois State Senate only a few years ago, he led the fight against a ban on partial birth abortion. That horrible record alone should disqualify him from any honor at any Catholic college. I am ashamed that Notre Dame had invited a leading opponent of life.

Published by: Robert Lockwood
Lafayette, CA 04/01/2009 07:31 PM EST

It's nice to see the Bishops step forward and call a spade a spade, but why did they not do this before the election? Had they we might not be faced with these things.

Published by: Ken Clark
Metuchen, NJ 04/01/2009 07:28 PM EST

Rate: Regular

Does Bishop Slattery believe in the Virgin Birth? the Jonah story? The flood of all God's children by God himself? If so, he's a fool.

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