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| Press Releases and Statements 25 March 2009 Notre Dame Student Groups Denounce University's Choice for Commencement Speech Download Entire Press Release (statement attached) (PDF, 53K) Download Statement Only (PDF, 34K) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact:
Chris Labadie
NDresponse@gmail.com
www.NDresponse.com NOTRE DAME STUDENT GROUPS DENOUNCE UNIVERSITY’S CHOICE FOR COMMENCEMENT SPEECH Statement follows NOTRE DAME, IN, 25 March 2009 — A number of student groups at the University of Notre Dame issued a statement today repudiating the University’s selection of President Barack Obama to deliver its 2009 Commencement Address. The statement criticizes the president’s position on abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and other life issues, and chastises University administration for apparently looking over what they termed "fundamental moral principles." The statement responds to Friday afternoon’s announcement of Obama as the speaker for the University’s 164th Commencement. Citing Catholic teaching on abortion, as well as the US Bishops’ 2004 document "Catholics in Political Life," which deals with issues surrounding a Catholic response to politicians who advocate abortion, the student statement expresses “deepest opposition” to the decision. "This is not a partisan issue; rather, it’s an issue of respect for human life, and our Catholic character. We want to emphasize that we are not attacking the office of the President, but taking issue with his moral stances. I think the statement makes it clear that the student body of Notre Dame is not unequivocally in favor of this decision,” said senior Emily Toates of Notre Dame Right to Life. An Ad Hoc committee sponsored by a coalition of University-sponsored student groups has been organized to lead student response. These groups include Notre Dame Right to Life, Jus Vitae (Notre Dame Law School Right to Life), the Irish Rover independent student newspaper, Notre Dame College Republicans, The University of Notre Dame Anscombe Society, The Identity Project of Notre Dame, Notre Dame Knights of the Immaculata, Notre Dame Children of Mary, the Orestes Brownson Council, Notre Dame Law St. Thomas More Society, and the Federalist Society of the Notre Dame Law School. STUDENT COALITION STATEMENT ON THE 2009 UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES In defense of the unborn, we wish to express our deepest opposition to Reverend John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.’s invitation of President Barack Obama to be the University of Notre Dame’s principal commencement speaker and the recipient of an honorary degree. Our objection is not a matter of political partisanship, but of President Obama’s hostility to the Catholic Church’s teachings on the sanctity of human life at its earliest stages. His recent dedication of federal funds to overseas abortions and to embryonic stem cell research will directly result in the deaths of thousands of innocent human beings. We cannot sit by idly while the University honors someone who believes that an entire class of human beings is undeserving of the most basic of all legal rights, the right to live. The University’s decision runs counter to the policy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops against honoring pro-choice politicians. In their June 2004 statement Catholics in Political Life, the bishops said, “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.” Fr. Jenkins defends his invitation by saying that it does not honor or suggest support for the President’s views on abortion, but rather support for his leadership. But our “fundamental moral principles” must be respected at all times. And the principle that requires us to refrain from the direct killing of the innocent has a special status even among the most fundamental principles. President Obama’s actions have consistently shown contempt for this principle, and he has sought political gain by making light of its clear political implications. Leadership that puts the lives of the most innocent at risk is leadership we must disdain. In the face of President Obama’s actions, Father Jenkins’ words ring hollow. It is a great irony that the University has chosen to award President Obama an honorary law degree. As the oldest Catholic law school in the country, the Notre Dame Law School states that its mission is “to facilitate greater understanding of and commitment to the relationship between law and social justice.” The social justice issue of our day is the deliberate, legal attack on the most vulnerable members of society, the unborn. To award a Notre Dame law degree to a lawyer and politician who has used the law to deny equality to the unborn diminishes the value of the degree itself. Additionally, Fr. Jenkins has placed some of his students in a moral dilemma as to whether they should attend their own graduation. Many pro-life seniors, along with their families, are conflicted about whether to participate in the commencement ceremony. The lack of concern for these devoted sons and daughters of Notre Dame, who love this University and the Catholic principles on which it was built, is shameful. In response to the University’s decision, we pledge ourselves to acts of witness that will be characterized by respect, prayerfulness, outspoken fidelity to the Church, and true concern for the good of our University. It is appropriate that only members of the Notre Dame community lead all such protests, and we ask outside groups to respect our responsibilities in this regard. Over the next several weeks, in response to this scandal, our organizations will host various academic and religious events to engage the University community. We request any groups who are committed to respectful actions to support our efforts, thereby ensuring a unified front and a more compelling public witness. In Notre Dame, Notre Dame Right to Life
The Irish Rover Student Newspaper
Notre Dame College Republicans
The University of Notre Dame Anscombe Society
Notre Dame Identity Project
Militia of the Immaculata
Children of Mary
Orestes Brownson Council
Notre Dame Law School Right to Life
Notre Dame Law St Thomas More Society
The Federalist Society at Notre Dame Law School | | |
| I was shocked to discover yesterday that Obama is going to be giving a speech at the University of Notre Dame’s commencement ceremony this Spring. One of the more prominent Catholic Universities in the Country will also be giving this advocate of infanticide an “honorary doctor of Law degree,” making him the ninth president to receive such an honor from the institution. Apparently, Pope Benedict’s meeting with the heads of American Catholic Universities back in April didn’t address specifically this senario or, more likely, it's being outright ignored. If we grant this university the benefit of the doubt, say they aren’t clear on the Holy Father’s wishes in this kind of situation, you would still have to explain away the fact that the University is directly defying a policy of the USCCB which states that politicians with pro-abortion views “should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” The public nature of this event suggests to me that the University’s president Rev. Fr. John Jenkins is either being strongly influenced by groups of liberal administrators or he was not the primary decision maker. By the Grace of God, there are people who understand the gravity of this matter and are acting against it. “The Cardinal Newman Society, an organization dedicated to the ‘renewal’ of the nation's Catholic colleges and universities, has issued an ‘urgent alert’ on its Web site. As of mid-morning today, the organization claimed more than 60,000 people had signed an online petition to stop the "scandal" at the university.
The Pro-Life Action League is urging supporters to call in protests to university president Rev. John Jenkins and ask him to un-invite Obama, something a university spokesman has said is highly unlikely.” (Obama’s ND speech draws protest; Chicago Tribune) This event will cause division, a trend that can be observed throughout the world as the Church continues to re-affirm Her doctrines and disciplines. Good will come out of this however, once again the USCCB is ignored, first by Catholic voters in the 2008 election and now by a Catholic University which completely and publicly shuns one of its policies. This will force their hand to take a more active role influencing politics.
The Bishop of South Bend, H.E. Bishop John M. D’Arcy has issued a statement declaring that he will not be attending the commencement ceremony and that he had been informed very late of the decision. This doesn’t surprise me. It seems the best way to get around the watchful eye of the bishop these days is to make it extremely inconvenient for him to call for a cancellation. He did, however, issue a statement. In it he says: “Even as I continue to ponder in prayer these events, which many have found shocking, so must Notre Dame. Indeed, as a Catholic University, Notre Dame must ask itself, if by this decision it has chosen prestige over truth.” As with any authority on this earth, there is a time for passivity and there is a time for strong actions. Considering that Obama and those he appoints aggressively promote abortion and socialism, it would seem that the Catholic Church would be at a disadvantage if they were to combat these attacks with passivity. We shall see.
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| The crisis within the Catholic Church, prophesied by Our Lady of Good Success, is coming to an end. Our Holy Father Benedict XVI is beginning to tear down the indifferentism which has been undeniably present in the Vatican and replace it with a spirit that rejects the world, even unto great persecution, a persecution which is spearheaded by the liberal media. Even within the walls of the Vatican, there is dissent against the Pope by those who hate tradition.
“Another Vatican insider described Pope Benedict's four-year-old papacy as "a disaster", recalling the pontiff's previous inflammatory remarks on Islam and homosexuality.”
The forces of liberalism are clashing with traditional ones.
“The Holy See is struggling to contain international anger over the Pope's claim on his first official visit to Africa that Aids "cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems". The Pope's remarks about condoms, and a recent furore over his lifting of the 20-year excommunication of a British bishop who has questioned the Holocaust, has left him looking isolated and out of touch, prompting calls for a radical shake-up of the way the Holy See delivers its message.” (Article Vatican insiders declare the Pope a 'disaster' by Nick Squires in Rome). The Pope will soon find that he cannot choose both, he must either be for tradition and against liberalism, which has been condemned by past popes, or he must choose modernism and reject whole-heartedly the Society of St. Pius X and other essential reforms. It is simply counter-productive to deny that drastic measures must be taken. Great scandal is being committed by our Church fathers, which is then met with acceptance by others. They must understand that evangelization begins in an individual’s heart. “We will be smaller but more pure,” said Pope Benedict on the day of his election. God willing, these words will be realized. | | |
| From the Bostonian:
Catholicism less popular than beer pong?
Whether as a result of Catholicism's opposition to condoms and beer pong or for another reason, the Catholic population in New England is decreasing, particularly in Massachusetts, as Catholics increase in the southwest. According to the American Religious Identification Survey, 54 percent of Bay Staters self-identified as Catholic in 1990; in 2008, the amount went down to 39 percent. Rather than adopting new religions, these folks seem to now identify as secular, following a larger trend: just 8.2 percent of Americans claimed "no religion" in 1990; 15 percent of the country is non-religious today. Vermont is 34% religionless, the highest in the nation. | | |
| I've recently caught the blogging fever... the kind in which no actual writing is done.
I'm thinkingn about getting a "WordPress" blog site, it's much simpler.
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