Posted on 04/28/2009 4:07:24 AM PDT by Man50D
President Barack Obama is expected to wear the traditional doctoral robe featuring the cross and prayer of the Virgin Mary when he speaks at the University of Notre Dame next month, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told CNSNews.com on Monday.
Gibbs spoke on the same day that a former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican declined to accept an award from the Catholic university because of the invitation extended to Obama.
Obama’s upcoming commencement speech at Notre Dame has sparked protest among many Catholics because of the president’s support for abortion rights.
“I honestly don’t know what the dress code is for that day. I can assume that the president would wear what one traditionally wears at that commencement,” Gibbs told CNSNews.com during Monday’s White House press briefing.
Notre Dame spokesman Dennis Brown told CNSNews.com earlier this month that the university expects Obama to wear the robe.
The question was posed after the monogram “IHS,” which symbolizes the name of Jesus, was covered up when Obama spoke at Georgetown University, a Jesuit university. Georgetown officials said the “IHS” was covered at the request of the White House. See earlier story
On Monday, Mary Ann Glendon, a pro-life Harvard University professor and the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican under the Bush administration, declined to accept the Laetare Medal, an annual award given by Notre Dame to a layperson for outstanding service to the Roman Catholic Church.
In a letter to the Rev. John I. Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame, Glendon wrote, “I could not help but be dismayed by the news that Notre Dame also planned to award the president an honorary degree.”
Glendon, who would have given a brief acceptance speech upon receiving the Laetare Medal, said that such a platform was not the “right vehicle” to bring up the “very serious problems raised by Notre Dame’s decision” to honor Obama.
In her letter, Glendon described the president as “an uncompromising opponent of the church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice.” ( See Letter)
On Monday, Mary Ann Glendon, a pro-life Harvard University professor and the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican under the Bush administration, declined to accept the Laetare Medal, an annual award given by Notre Dame to a layperson for outstanding service to the Roman Catholic Church.
In a letter to the Rev. John I. Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame, Glendon wrote, “I could not help but be dismayed by the news that Notre Dame also planned to award the president an honorary degree.”
Glendon, who would have given a brief acceptance speech upon receiving the Laetare Medal, said that such a platform was not the “right vehicle” to bring up the “very serious problems raised by Notre Dame’s decision” to honor Obama.
In her letter, Glendon described the president as “an uncompromising opponent of the church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice.” (See letter)
Glendon, noting that other Catholic schools also are choosing to disregard the bishops’ guidelines, said she was “concerned that Notre Dame’s example could have an unfortunate ripple effect.”
“It is with great sadness, therefore, that I have concluded that I cannot accept the Laetare Medal or participate in the May 17 graduation ceremony.”
Notre Dame reportedly extended an invitation to the pro-life Glendon as a way of balancing Obama’s controversial appearance at commencement ceremonies.
Gibbs said he has “not seen any reason she (Glendon) might have given” to refuse the award at Notre Dame.
“The president looks forward greatly to delivering the commencement address at Notre Dame,” Gibbs told CNSNews.com. “Obviously any commencement is a special occasion for students and their families. I think Notre Dame has a strong record of healthy exchange of differing viewpoints. The president is glad and fortunate to have supporters of all faiths and looks forward to delivering the commencement.”
More than 330,000 have now signed the Cardinal Newman Society's petition asking Notre Dame to rescind its invitation to Obama.
The Notre Dame doctoral robe that Obama will likely wear at the speech bears two images of the school’s coat of arms, one on both the right and left chest areas.
The coat of arms and its symbolic meaning are described in “The Spirit of Notre Dame: Its History, Legends and Lore” by Dorothy V. Corson, a publication that is posted on Notre Dame’s official website.
The publication includes a detailed illustration of the coat of arms and an explanation from the February 1931 issue of The Notre Dame Alumnus magazine.
The emblem features a cross and a book with a prayer inscribed in it, a star in the upper left-hand corner and two wavy lines at the bottom.
Notre Dame’s behavior in this mess is disgraceful. And Obama is enjoying every bit of it.
I’m going to bed before I end up with an ulcer.
notre dame is turning into a big liberal school. They’re too tied up into all this political correctness garbage.
Ought to put holey water in the fire sprinkler system and set it off as obamma lamma is talking and as it rains down on him watch him melt.
Oh yeah, sure, that’ll go over REAL WELL....
Spontaneous combustion?
BTTT
You bet he is. And he's only this emboldened because of all the success he's already had in taunting the Church with his appointments of "pro-choice" Catholics against whom the bishops said nothing until too late, or even with the insufficiently opposed attacks, clearly Bambi-sponsored, of Biden and Pelosi on the teaching power of the bishops.
If he pulls off this one - which he probably will - he knows he will no longer have anything to fear from the Church, which was the one force that could have opposed him.
Barry, “I wasn’t aware certain people didn’t want me there”.
The word "Taqiyya" literally means: "Concealing, precaution, guarding.” It is employed in disguising one's beliefs, intentions, convictions, ideas, feelings, opinions or strategies. In practical terms it is manifested as dissimulation, lying, deceiving, vexing and confounding with the intention of deflecting attention, foiling or pre-emptive blocking. It is currently employed in fending off and neutralising any criticism of Islam or Muslims.
Falsehoods told to prevent the denigration of Islam, to protect oneself, or to promote the cause of Islam are sanctioned in the Qur'an and Sunna, including lying under oath in testimony before a court, deceiving by making distorted statements to the media such as the claim that Islam is a “religion of peace”. A Muslim is even permitted to deny or denounce his faith if, in so doing, he protects or furthers the interests of Islam, so long as he remains faithful to Islam in his heart.
Like many Islamic practices, taqiyya was formed within the context of the culture of Arab tribalism, expansionary warfare, Bedouin raiding and inter-tribal conflict. Taqiyya has been used by Muslims since the 7th century to confuse, confound and divide 'the enemy’.
A favoured tactic was ‘deceptive triangulation’; used to persuade the enemy that preparations for a raid were not aimed at them but at another tribe altogether. The fate in store for the deceived enemy target was an unexpected plunderous raid, enslavement of the women and death to the post-pubescent males.
My guess is that someone is right now making up a 'special' presidential version of the robe that has all religious symbols/references removed. I wonder if he is going to require all of his photo op locations to be 'religion neutral'?
Who knows, perhaps he should take the Reverend Jeremiah Wright along and have him say a few words, while including “G - - Damn” in a few of his comments, to the faculty, students, and clerics at the event.
Sadly, Notre Dame is quickly loosing its standing with many Americans.
Thanks for the morning chuckle. I appreciate your mind.
“Notre Dame’s behavior in this mess is disgraceful. And Obama is enjoying every bit of it.”
Once all the Alumni start pulling donations, within 5 years Notre Dame will be irrelevant.
If Obama were a man of personal conviction, and sensibilities it seems to me he would realize that conflict exists based upon his personal convictions, and tactfully withdraw from the commencement proceedings.
His apparent insistance of participating at the Notre Dame proceedings seems to me a quite “In your face” disturbance intended to mock the religious of our society.
This is an extremely shallow President.
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