San Antonio, Texas, Jun 23, 2009 / 15:02 pm
The latest gathering of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) expressed “appreciation and support” for Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend John D’Arcy, a central figure in the controversy over the University of Notre Dame’s commencement invitation to President Barack Obama.
“We affirm his pastoral concern for Notre Dame University, his solicitude for its Catholic identity, and his loving care for all those the Lord has given him to sanctify, to teach and to shepherd,” the bishops said at the USCCB’s spring General Assembly in San Antonio.
Bishop D’Arcy had boycotted the school’s official commencement activities, citing among other concerns President Obama’s “long-stated unwillingness to hold human life as sacred.” The bishop instead spoke at a campus pro-life rally.
He had also lamented Notre Dame President Fr. John I. Jenkins’ failure to inform him and consult with him about the invitation to the U.S. president.