South Bend, Ind., Mar 25, 2009 / 18:50 pm
Debate over the University of Notre Dame’s invitation to President Obama to be commencement speaker and to receive an honorary degree continues, with a prominent Jesuit priest arguing that the action is morally justifiable while a Catholic writer contends that the action shows indifference to the millions of unborn children killed under U.S. law.
Writing in a post on the Washington Post’s "On Faith" blog, Fr. Thomas J. Reese, SJ, former editor of America magazine, criticized the argument that the invitation to Obama violates the U.S. bishops’ statement "Catholics in Political Life."
The statement said that 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."
Fr. Reese argued that having President Obama as a commencement speaker and giving him an honorary degree would not violate this ethic. He said that President Obama has never violated the moral law against abortion "in his personal life."