Free Republic

Many American Catholics, including alumni and students of the University of Notre Dame, are expressing anger and profound disappointment at the school's decision to invite President Obama--who supports abortion on demand and legalized same-sex unions--to be the school's commencement speaker and to award him an honorary doctoral degree in law. Tens of thousands already have signed a petition aimed at persuading the president of Notre Dame to rescind the school's offer to Obama. On Friday afternoon, Notre Dame and the White House announced that the university had invited Obama to be the principal speaker at the university's May 17 commencement...

Notre Dame is really on a roll, isn't it? Sadly they've made another questionable decision it appears. Yesterday they announced their new Law School dean: "The chancellor and dean of the Hastings College of the Law at the University of California has been named as the new Joseph A. Matson Dean of the University of Notre Dame Law School. Nell Newton will assume her new responsibilities on July 1. She succeeds Patricia O'Hara, who is stepping down after 10 years as dean." And who does the new dean of Notre Dame Law support when it comes to political candidates?[source:...

Father Hugh W. Cleary ROME (CNS) -- The head of the Holy Cross religious order that founded the University of Notre Dame has written to U.S. President Barack Obama and asked him to rethink his positions on abortion and other life issues. U.S. Father Hugh W. Cleary, Holy Cross superior general in Rome, said that when Obama receives an honorary degree from the Indiana university and delivers the commencement address in May, he should take to heart the objections of Catholics who have been scandalized by the invitation. Father Cleary asked the president to use the occasion to "give...

NEW YORK, March 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - 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...

Houston, Texas, Mar 28, 2009 / 04:46 pm (CNA).- Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, on Friday became the first American cardinal to publicly criticize the University of Notre Dame for inviting President Barack Obama to be this year's commencement speaker and to award him with an honorary law degree. In his weekly "A Shepherd's Message" in the Texas Catholic Herald, Cardinal DiNardo expresses his disappointment with Notre Dame's decision. Cardinal DiNardo begins his column by commenting on Pope Benedict's recent letter explaining his decision to lift the excommunications of the four bishops ordained by the schismatic Archbishop Marcel...

by Monsignor Owen F. Campion UPDATED: Notre Dame University’s recent decision to invite President Obama to address its forthcoming Commencement Exercises and to confer upon him an honorary degree caused an outcry from many Catholics opposed to the Chief Executive’s policies regarding abortion and stem cell research. The fury transferred in many cases to “the bishops”, assuming that either the bishop of the diocese in which Notre Dame is located could stop the whole thing, or the American bishops collectively could do something. Actually, the bishops have spoken. Several years ago, as a group, they formally resolved that Catholic colleges...

President Obama, who has made massive strides to expand abortion rights in his first few weeks in office, is looking forward to a "dialogue" with Catholics, who by church law are pro-life, when he speaks at the school's commencement this spring. The confirmation came at a news briefing today from presidential press secretary Robert Gibbs to Les Kinsolving, WND's correspondent at the White House. "What is the president's reaction to the 50,000 people already who've signed petitions joining the Catholic bishop of Fort Wayne, South Bend in objecting to his addressing the graduation and receiving an honorary degree from Notre...

NOTRE DAME, Indiana, March 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The bishop of the diocese where the University of Notre Dame is located, Bishop John D'Arcy, released a statement this afternoon strongly criticizing the university's decision to invite President Obama to offer this year's commencement address and receive an honorary law degree on May 17.  The bishop said that he would boycott the event.This past Friday afternoon it was announced that President Obama had accepted the invitation put forward by the university. The announcement sparked a strong backlash from Catholics and Notre Dame alumni, who say that Obama's liberal policies on abortion and other...

Bishop John D'Arcy Fort Wayne, Ind., Mar 24, 2009 / 12:52 pm (CNA).- Bishop John M. D'Arcy has issued a statement saying that he won't be attending Notre Dame's commencement exercises, which will feature President Obama as the keynote speaker and honor him with a doctor of laws degree.The full statement of Bishop D'Arcy follows. Concerning President Barack Obama speaking at Notre Dame graduation, receiving honorary law degreeMarch 24, 2009 On Friday, March 21, Father John Jenkins, CSC, phoned to inform me that President Obama had accepted his invitation to speak to the graduating class at Notre Dame and...

Fr. Jenkin's response to the growing criticism of his decision to honor Obama at the Notre Dame graduation is remarkably Clintonian.  Fr. Jenkins first says Notre Dame is honored by the president's presence at graduation. He then adds that the school intends to teach Obama about the error of his ways on abortion.  Does anyone really believe that? It has the hollow ring of Obama's own abortion reduction argument.But here is the best line: We are not ignoring the critical issue of the protection of life.  On the contrary, we invited him because we care so much about these issues....

Fr. John Jenkins CSC South Bend, Ind., Mar 23, 2009 / 06:33 pm (CNA).- Notre Dame’s commencement invitation to President Barack Obama has become more controversial with the university's president, Fr. John Jenkins CSC, saying that he doesn't plan to withdraw the invite. On Sunday, Jenkins told The Observer he did not “foresee circumstances” in which the University would withdraw President Obama’s invitation. Referring to Notre Dame’s decades-old tradition of inviting presidents, Fr. Jenkins said, “Presidents from both parties have come to Notre Dame.” They’ve spoken on important issues like “international affairs, human rights, service, and we’re delighted that President Obama is continuing that...

Washington D.C., Mar 23, 2009 / 04:22 pm (CNA).- Under the title “A Moral Exemplar? Should the University of Notre Dame honor our most anti-life president?” National Review Online has gathered some of nation’s most prominent Catholics to weigh-in on the university’s decision to invite President Barack Obama to be the principal speaker and the recipient of an honorary doctor of law degree at its commencement on Sunday, May 17. Kathryn Jean Lopez, Editor of National Review Online, explained to CNA that the announcement from the University of Notre Dame that it will be having Obama speak at their commencement “is...

Bishop John M. D’Arcy Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana CNA is reporting that Bishop will soon release a statement on the situation at Notre Dame University. Stay tuned! In the meantime, here is the bishop's statement on Obama's decision to allow federally funding the destruction of embryonic human beings for stem-cell research Regarding President Obama’s decision to allow federally funding the destruction of embryonic human beings for stem-cell research March 9, 2009On March 9, 2009, President Obama extended the ability of the federal government to directly fund the destruction of embryonic human beings in order to advance stem-cell research. We should...

Sen. Barack Obama Washington DC, Oct 19, 2008 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- M. Cathleen Kaveny, one of the three high profile self-described pro-life Catholics who supports Sen. Barack Obama for president, has made the case in an article published by the Jesuit weekly magazine “America,” that abortion is indeed an intrinsic evil, but that it is still okay to vote for pro-abortion candidates, since “intrinsic evil,” may not be “grave” enough. Kaveny, a Professor of Law and Theology at the University of Notre Dame, has joined  professors Douglas W. Kmiec and Nicholas P. Cafardi in trying to make a...

Two St. Louis religious leaders who are stuck in Lebanon say they feel fairly secure and are going ahead with some of their plans despite what they see from the balcony of their five-star hotel. Several miles from Beirut, they can see planes passing overhead on bombing runs, anti-aircraft guns countering from the ground, a naval blockage that has formed in the sea and a nearly constant cloud of smoke over the airport. Beirut "looks gorgeous from the distance - like New York City," said the Rev. Andre Mhanna from his cell phone Friday night. "But then there is gas...

By J. Michael Waller © 2003 Insight/News World Communications Inc. It's one of the unsolved political mysteries of 2003: Exactly who drew up the plan for Democrats to abuse the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, or SCCI, as a stealth weapon to undermine and discredit President George W. Bush and the U.S. war effort in Iraq? The plot, authored by aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., vice chairman of the committee, has poisoned the working atmosphere of a crucial legislative panel in a time of war, Senate sources say. It centered on duping the panel's Republican chairman, Sen. Pat Roberts...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2003 – Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz accepted the 2003 American Patriot Award Dec. 5 "on behalf of our fallen heroes" and "the hundreds of thousands of men and women in uniform and all of those that support them," including defense civilians and contractors. The award, sponsored by the National Defense University Foundation, was previously issued to former President George H.W. Bush, now-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. More than 700 people – including members of Congress and other senior civilian and military officials – attended the gala award dinner...