Scranton Bishops Join Protest of Notre Dame Scandal

Scranton Bishop Joseph F. Martino and Auxiliary Bishop John M. Dougherty have joined with more than a dozen other bishops and thousands of people throughout the nation who are publicly protesting Notre Dame University’s decision to honor President Barack Obama at the school’s commencement.

In a letter to Notre Dame’s president, Holy Cross Father John I. Jenkins, Bishop Martino and Bishop Dougherty cite the extensive anti-life positions taken by President Obama and describe the Catholic school’s decision to host him as the commencement speaker and bestow an honorary degree on him as a “scandal to the Church.”

They also cite the 2004 statement by the United States Bishops, which says: “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.”

All those who seek a "culture of life" can express their opposition to Notre Dame’s decision through on online petition sponsored by the Cardinal Newman Society. The petition can be found on a new website dedicated to the scandal: http://www.notredamescandal.com

Below is the letter to Father Jenkins:

April 1, 2009

Reverend John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
President

University of Notre Dame

400 Main Building

Notre Dame, Indiana 46556

Dear Father Jenkins,

The numerous, repeated and extensive anti-life positions taken by President Obama merit his recognition as an unequalled, prominent proponent of the culture of death in our nation. Given her Catholic identity, the University of Notre Dame’s receiving the President as the 2009 commencement speaker and her bestowing on him an honorary doctorate are truly shameful, a scandal to the Church and a major blow to hundreds of thousands who have sacrificed to bring forth a culture of life in our midst.

As a Diocesan Bishop and his Auxiliary we cannot overstress our disapproval of these actions by the University.

Through its President, His Eminence Cardinal George, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops acted swiftly and consistently to engage President Obama on human life issues. Your reported comment that “I think if he is going to reconsider his views, I think Notre Dame is the best possible place to begin that process” demeans, we believe, the intelligent urgency exercised by the nation’s bishops in this matter.

Moreover, your argument that honoring President Obama by granting a degree to him “is not intended to condone or endorse his position on specific issues regarding life” is no more than a blatant rejection of United States Bishops’ assessment of what Catholic institutions do when they so act. Their 2004 statement is absolutely clear. “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.”

"Bishops have a particular responsibility to promote Catholic universities, and especially to promote and assist in the preservation and strengthening of their Catholic identity, including the protection of their Catholic identity in relation to civil authorities.” (Ex Corde Ecclesiae, no. 28) We are convinced that Notre Dame will one day very much regret rebuffing not only her own Bishop D’Arcy but also the USCCB’s efforts to fulfill their responsibilities in her regard.

Praying this conviction will prove untrue and that Notre Dame will immediately and resoundingly proclaim her Catholic identity in word and act, we are,

Sincerely yours in Our Lord,

Most Reverend Joseph F. Martino, D.D., Hist. E.D.

Bishop of Scranton

Most Reverend John M. Dougherty, D.D., V.G.

Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton

President of US Bishops Conference: Notre Dame Obama Invite an "Extreme Embarassment"

From LifeSiteNews
By Kathleen Gilbert

Speaking as the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, this weekend Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said that the University of Notre Dame's decision to host and honor President Obama at their commencement ceremony this year was an "extreme embarrassment" to Catholics.

"Whatever else is clear, it is clear that Notre Dame didn't understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation," George told the crowd at a conference Saturday on the Vatican document Dignitatis Personae. The conference was hosted by the Chicago archdiocese's Respect Life office and Office for Evangelization at the Marriott O'Hare hotel.

In a video obtained by LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) today, Cardinal George prefaced his remarks by noting that as USCCB president he does not have jurisdiction or authority over other bishops, but nonetheless has "some moral authority, without any kind of jurisdiction or any sort of real authority." (Download the brief video to view in Windows Media format - http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/video/CardinalGeorge.wmv - or QuickTime format - http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/video/CardinalGeorge.mov - allow time for the download to complete.

"As president of the U.S. bishops' conference I have to precisely speak for the bishops and not in my own name, as I could as Archbishop of Chicago," he added.

George said he had spoken with the administrative committee of the bishops' conference and corresponded with University president Fr. John Jenkins several times on the issue.

"That conversation will continue .... whether or not it will have some kind of consequence that will bring, I think, the University of Notre Dame to its [the USCCB's] understanding of what it means to be Catholic," said the Cardinal. "That is, when you're Catholic, everything you do changes the life of everybody else who calls himself a personal Catholic - it's a network of relationships.

"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.

The Cardinal urged concerned Catholics "to do what you are supposed to be doing: to call, to email, to write letters, to express what's in your heart about this: the embarrassment, the difficulties."

However, Cardinal George emphasized that the U.S. presidency "is an office that deserves some respect, no matter who is holding it," and said that Notre Dame would not disinvite the president, since "you just don't do that (disinvite the president of the United States)." According to the cardinal requests to revoke the invitation would fall on deaf ears, but he also observed that there is legitimate potential to organize some form of protest at the ceremony.

"You have to sit back and get past the immediate moral outrage and say, 'Now what's the best thing to do in these circumstances?'" said the Cardinal.

"I can assure you the bishops are doing that."

Cardinal George is the ninth U.S. bishop to speak out against the scandal.

To sign the Cardinal Newman Society's petition protesting the Notre Dame scandal: 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

Newly Appointed Archbishop of New York on Notre Dame Scandal: "They Made a Big Mistake"

From LifeSiteNews

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 Obama 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, [Obama] 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 Obama 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

Houston Cardinal Becomes Highest Ranking Official, 4th Bishop to Condemn Notre Dame Scandal

From LifeSiteNews
By Kathleen Gilbert

American Cardinal Nicholas DiNardo has criticized the decision of the Catholic University of Notre Dame to honor President Barack Obama 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."

Nationwide Outrage Building to Notre Dame Scandal

Jack Higgins © 2009 Chicago Sun-Times

In less than one week, nearly 200,000 have signed the petition to Notre Dame's President, Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., declaring it "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 Obama given his clear support for policies and laws that directly contradict fundamental Catholic teachings on life and marriage."

The Cardinal Newman Society, a sponsor of the petition, is asking that anyone who has not already signed the petition do so here.

You may also wish to contact Fr. Jenkins: Call him at 574.631.5000, fax him at 574.631.2770, write a personal email president@nd.edu, or mail your letter to 317 Main Building, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Finally, please pray that this venerable institution will stay true to its Catholic heritage and identity.

Phoenix Bishop Calls Notre Dame's Obama Honor "Public Act of Disobedience to U.S. Bishops"

From LifeSiteNews
By Kathleen Gilbert

Bishop Thomas Olmsted (Diocese of Phoenix) has written a letter to University of Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins condemning the invitation to President Obama 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 Obama to speak at Notre Dame University and even to receive an honorary degree" (See: 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 Obama 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