Posted on 04/30/2009 1:53:15 PM PDT by wagglebee
SOUTH BEND, Indiana, April 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Three more bishops have spoken out against the University of Notre Dame's decision to honor President Obama by asking him to deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary degree at the school's graduation ceremony May 17.
"In my first year as bishop no issue has generated more mail expressing dismay and sadness as the recent decision by the leadership of the University of Notre Dame to honor Pres. Barack Obama at this year's commencement," wrote Bishop James V. Johnston of the diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, MO in his weekly column dated May 1.
"Regardless of whether it is deserved or not, Notre Dame holds a special place in the hearts of a vast number of Catholics who see it as a proud symbol of the Catholic Church's place in American life."
Considering President Obama's extreme pro-abortion agenda, said the bishop, "it is saddening and bewildering that Notre Dame would act in this manner."
"This honor will cause confusion and scandal among many."
Bishop Johnston expressed solidarity with Notre Dame's Bishop D'Arcy and his decision to boycott the ceremony, and said he joins those calling for Notre Dame to "reconsider this decision."
"Even at this late date, such a reversal would be a credit to Notre Dame's leadership, and would restore the near-universal goodwill that Notre Dame is now almost assured of losing," said the bishop.
Bishop John McCormack of Manchester, NH also expressed solidarity with Notre Dame's Bishop John D'Arcy in his condemnation of the scandal. Manchester's diocesan website reprinted Bishop D'Arcy's original statement, in which he questioned whether the school had chosen "prestige over truth" and announced his intention to boycott.
Bishop Bernard Harrington of Winona, MN, says he is among several bishops who have written to University president Fr. John Jenkins "to express my disbelief and disappointment" at the Obama honor.
In the May 2009 edition of the diocesan newspaper The Courier, Bishop Harrington referenced the 2004 U.S. Bishops' document "Catholics in Political Life," which forbids Catholic schools from honoring pro-abortion politicians. In honoring the deeply pro-abortion president, said the bishop, Notre Dame "is choosing to defy the bishops of the United States and turn its back on the Catholic community in its continual defense of the right-to-life."
"The university's stance is similar to that of Catholic politicians who say that they are pro-life and then support legislation and vote for programs that foster abortion," said the bishop. "It is hard to believe that the University of Notre Dame has chosen 'political rightness' over principle and truth."
Bishop Harrington suggested that the University "judge itself in the same light of truth and justice" as Bishop D'Arcy, who had stated that his attendance at the ceremony would have implicitly approved President Obama and given scandal.
"No matter what the President of Notre Dame says, the invitation and bestowal of an honorary degree upon President Obama is a 'no-win situation' for the Catholic Church of the United States and in particular, a losing situation for the University of Notre Dame," said Harrington.
"It might be a little too dramatic to say that Our Lady of the Golden Dome is hanging her head in shame, but there is no question that hundreds of thousands of 'loyal Irish' supporters are angered, dumbfounded and disappointed in this administration's decision."
The bishops who have so far expressed disapproval of Notre Dame's invitation to Obama (in alphabetical order) are:
1. Bishop John D'Arcy - Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN
2. Bishop Samuel Aquila - Fargo, ND
3. Bishop Gregory Aymond - Austin, TX
4. Bishop Gerald Barbarito - Palm Beach, FL
5. Bishop Leonard Blair - Toledo, OH
6. Archbishop Daniel Buechlein - Indianapolis, IN
7. Bishop Robert Baker - Birmingham, AL
8. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz - Lincoln, NE
9. Archbishop Eusebius Beltran - Oklahoma City, OK
10. Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú - San Antonio, TX
11. Archbishop Charles Chaput - Denver, CO
12. Bishop Paul Coakley - Salina, KS
13. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo - Houston, TX
14. Archbishop Timothy Dolan - New York, NY
15. Bishop Thomas Doran - Rockford, IL
16. Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty - Scranton, PA
17. Bishop Robert Finn - Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO
18. Bishop Joseph Galante - Camden, NJ
19. Bishop Victor Galeone - St. Augustine, FL
20. Cardinal Francis George - Chicago, IL; President, USCCB
21. Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger - Evansville, IN
22. Archbishop José Gomez - San Antonio, TX
23. Bishop Bernard Harrington - Winona, MN
24. Bishop William Higi - Lafayette, IN
25. Archbishop Alfred Hughes - New Orleans, LA
26. Bishop James V. Johnston - Springfield-Cape Girardeau, MO
27. Bishop Peter Jugis - Charlotte, NC
28. Bishop Joseph Latino - Jackson, MS
29. Bishop John LeVoir - New Ulm, MN
30. Bishop Jerome Listecki - La Crosse, WI
31. Bishop William E. Lori - Bridgeport, CT
32. Bishop Paul Loverde - Arlington, VA
33. Bishop George Lucas - Springfield, IL
34. Bishop Robert Lynch - St. Petersburg, FL
35. Bishop Joseph Martino - Scranton, PA
36. Bishop John McCormack - Manchester, NH
37. Bishop Robert Morlino - Madison, WI
38. Bishop George Murry - Youngstown, OH
39. Archbishop John J. Myers - Newark, NJ
40. Archbishop Joseph Naumann - Kansas City, KS
41. Bishop R. Walker Nickless - Sioux City, IA
42. Archbishop John C. Nienstedt - St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN
43. Archbishop Edwin O'Brien - Baltimore, MD
44. Bishop Thomas Olmsted - Phoenix, AZ
45. Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk - Cincinnati, OH
46. Bishop Glen Provost - Lake Charles, LA
47. Cardinal Justin Rigali - Philadelphia, PA; Chairman, USCCB Pro-Life Committee
48. Bishop Kevin Rhoades - Harrisburg, PA
49. Bishop Alexander Sample - Marquette, MI
50. Bishop Edward J. Slattery - Tulsa, OK
51. Bishop Richard Stika - Knoxville, TN
52. Bishop Anthony Taylor - Little Rock, AR
53. Bishop Robert Vasa - Baker, OR
54. Bishop Thomas Wenski - Orlando, FL
55. Archbishop Donald Wuerl - Washington, D.C.
56. Bishop David Zubick - Pittsburgh, PA
Jenkins is openly embracing the culture of death.
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Today’s “Harvard Crimson” (yes,*that* Harvard) featured a story of a Harvard Law School professor who turned an invitation from Notre Dame to speak,citing her disgust with ND’s having invited Hussein to address their graduating class.I sent her an email congratulating her for her decency and courage.
Can we get a list of those American Bishops who refuse to “express disapproval” and have them state their reason?
I don’t think any bishops have directly refused to say anything. Some are probably remaining silent because they consider it the prerogative of the local bishop and his superiors.
Writing letters will not work. They need to show up enmass the day prior to graduation (no pun intended) and make their opposition face to face. If they show up and “force” ND and Obama to cancel his speech, it would set a great example for ALL Christians, not just Roman Catholics that they need to act on their faith rather than just talk about it.
No need to worry about distressing the graduates. They will remember such an event for the rest of their lives and do so fondly in almost every case. It might literally be a life changing event for those in attendance. If I was a RC Bishop, I’d do it in a heart beat even if no one else went along.
Sad that Mississippi is AWOL!
You can read more about it here, she is a former ambassador to the Vatican.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2238884/posts
In some ways I think that the “best case scenario” at this point will be for Zero to speak at Notre Dame and for the Vatican to then defrock and possibly excommunicate Father Jenkins. That would send a very unambiguous message to dissident Catholics.
I understand what you are saying, but apparently there is no local Bishop that has any authority in this matter.
As for the rest of the Bishops, when it comes to issues related to abortion, silence is consent.
Yay...my bishop is on the list. Good for him.
As usual, the silence is deafening from the Bishops in Massachusetts.
I thought that Bishop D'Arcy had some limited authority, but I've pinged some others who would know better than me.
As for the rest of the Bishops, when it comes to issues related to abortion, silence is consent.
Yes it is and even if they don't specifically mention Notre Dame and Obama, I think that they are failing in their duties if they do not speak out regularly and strongly against abortion.
AND they were going to give her a prestigious award, which she turned down! I have all kinds of respect for that woman!
They wouldn't want to offend the Kennedys, Kerry or Romney.
No award or recognition is worth the blood of 50 MILLION INNOCENT LIVES.
Thanks, that’s what I thought.
However, in the case of Jenkins are his duties as University president considered part of his priestly faculties?
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