Catholic University of Notre Dame President Approves Vulgar Pro-Lesbian Play Vagina Monologues

Life Site ^ | March 11, 2008

[Coleus]

SOUTH BEND, Indiana, March 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - University of Notre Dame President, Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., announced today that he has approved campus performances of the lurid play, "The Vagina Monologues," on March 24-26.  It will be the sixth year since 2002 that Notre Dame has hosted the play.

The Vagina Monologues is a sexually explicit and offensive play that favorably describes lesbian activity, group masturbation, and the reduction of sexuality to selfish pleasure.  In one scene, the lesbian seduction of a teenage girl is described as the girl's "salvation" that "raised her into a kind of heaven."  "The announcement comes as a grave disappointment given the status Notre Dame holds as America's most prominent Catholic university - albeit not the most consistent in its Catholic identity," said Patrick Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society.  "This play is a scandal in every sense of the term."

For seven years, The Cardinal Newman Society and its more than 20,000 members have urged Catholic colleges to ban The Vagina Monologues, resulting in a significant decline from 32 Catholic campus performances in 2003 to just 19 this year.  Father Jenkins released the statement only weeks prior to the much-anticipated visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States, including an address to the presidents of America's 213 Catholic colleges and universities on April 17.  The statement also comes after the U.S. bishops' doctrine committee snubbed Notre Dame by moving a February 11 meeting off campus, because Father Jenkins would not assure Bishop John D'Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend that plans for The Vagina Monologues would be canceled.

"By approving performances of the Monologues, Notre Dame is in blatant defiance of Catholic morals and basic civility," Reilly said.  "Given the imminent arrival of Pope Benedict next month, the refusal of the U.S. bishops' doctrine committee to meet at Notre Dame, and Bishop D'Arcy's repeated condemnation of this play at a Catholic institution, this decision amounts to a public thumbing of the nose to our Catholic leaders."  A Notre Dame policy, "The Common Proposal of the Chairs of Arts and Letters and Fr. Jenkins," makes allowances for almost any event on campus, so long as "a knowledgeable presentation of Catholic teaching is included."

In the March 10 statement, Father Jenkins said: "Notre Dame's policy on controversial events rests on the conviction that truth will emerge from reasoned consideration of issues in dialogue with faith. …[I]t is, in my judgment, the action that best serves the distinctive mission of Notre Dame."  Reilly countered: "Reasonable consideration of issues - even of perversity - can hardly mean that a Catholic university should put perversity on display and scandalize its students.  Catholics have been discussing and lamenting this play for seven years.  It's time to move on to both a new discussion and much better campus entertainment."

To express concerns:

Local Bishop John D'Arcy
Fort Wayne Chancery
1103 S. Calhoun Street
P.O. Box 390
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46801

University of Notre Dame President
Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C.,
jenkins.1@nd.edu

[Coleus]

FORT WAYNE, March 12, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The bishop of Fort Wayne, Bishop John D'Arcy, has released a public statement berating the president of Notre Dame University, Fr. John Jenkins, for deciding to allow a performance of The Vagina Monologues at the university.  LifeSiteNews.com reported yesterday that Fr. Jenkins released a statement on Mar. 10 in which he announced his decision to allow the performance of the play to go ahead on Mar. 24-26. "My decision on this matter," wrote the president, "arises from a  conviction that it is an indispensable part of the mission of a Catholic university to provide a forum in which multiple viewpoints are debated in reasoned and respectful exchange - always in dialogue with faith and the Catholic tradition - even around highly controversial topics."
 
Jenkins also said, "It is particularly painful for me that Bishop John D'Arcy - for whom I have great respect and affection - disapproves of my decision.  Bishop D'Arcy begins his statement, released today, by thanking Fr. Jenkins for engaging in an ongoing dialogue with the bishop about the advisability of allowing the scheduled performance of the play to continue. Immediately after, however, the bishop launches into a detailed critique of Fr. Jenkins' position, taking taking him to task for his belief that allowing The Vagina Monologues is in any way comparable to reading in class the works of anti-Christian and anti-Catholic authors such as Nietzsche, Gibbon and Luther, saying that between such works and the play, there is a "difference, not of degree, but of kind."

Nietzsche, Gibbon and Luther, writes the Bishop "have written serious philosophical, theological and literary works, which have influenced Western thought. As such, their work has academic merit and is worthy of serious discussion and critique in a classroom setting. Father Jenkins believes that Eve Ensler's play was written to shock and offend. How can one put such a play, which many consider pornographic, on the level of serious works such as the writings of Gibbon and Luther?"   D'Arcy also points out that it is clear that the students and teachers who are pushing to have the play performed at the university, are doing so not simply for the purpose of an academic discussion, but rather because they passionately believe in the message of the play, which promotes sexual license and immorality in a way that deeply contravenes Catholic teaching.

"Is this not the motivation of the departments that have asked to sponsor the play and the young women who will be acting in it?" asks the bishop rhetorically. "Did they not propose to have multiple performances of the play again this year because they believe it conveys an important message, and they want as many people to see it as possible? In short, people push to have this play performed year after year because they endorse the message it conveys, and they want to be part of the international campaign to promote this message. In allowing performances of the play on campus again this year, whether or not they are officially considered part of the V-Day campaign, Notre Dame continues to cooperate in advancing the campaign's agenda, an agenda which, as I have repeatedly reflected in my several statements over the years, is directly opposed to the dignity of the human person and is antithetical to Catholic teaching.

"The play is an affront to human dignity, as Catholic teaching understands it. If it is performed, it should be denounced. Otherwise, the university appears to endorse it as in some way good and the impression is given that Catholic teaching is one option competing among many. This method places faith in a defensive position and on the margin and is unacceptable at a Catholic university."  The bishop concluded, saying, "I believe that the performing of this play, even with one or more persons willing to present Catholic teaching, is in direct opposition to both the spirit and letter of 'Ex Corde Ecclesiae.' Also, because it depicts and endorses sinful sexual acts in direct opposition to church teaching, I believe its performance to be pornographic and spiritually harmful. This judgment is made after prayer, reflection and dialogue and after preparing several statements over many years."

If Notre Dame goes ahead and allows the performance of the play on campus, it will be the sixth year in a row that it has done so.

To contact Fr. Jenkins:

University of Notre Dame President
Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C.,
jenkins.1@nd.edu

To read the full text of the statement, see:
http://www.diocesefwsb.org/COMMUNICATIONS/statements.htm

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Catholic University of Notre Dame President Approves Vulgar Pro-Lesbian Play Vagina Monologues
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/mar/08031102.html

[Coleus]

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[GOP_Party_Animal]

*sigh* As a Marquette grad, I thought only the Jesuits were this stupid.

[Last Dakotan]

This is why the Pope asked for meetings with the leaders of US Catholic colleges upon reaching our shores.

[Last Dakotan]

Marquette is not allowing it.

[ScratInTheHat]

The death of all morals by 1000 cuts.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Jenkins is as big a clown as Molloy, Hesburgh, McBrien and all those other heretics masquerading as Priests at Notre Dame.

[Dudoight]

For crying out loud. If presenting this play is more important that the values with which this university was established then go be part of a university which embraces these values.

This is sheer horse crap.

[Deo volente]

Shame on Fr. Jenkins!

He should know better.

[JustTheTruth]

My fantasy scenario on this would be for the Pope to take on the secular acedemics running and teaching at Catholic Universities and Colleges. Probably won’t happen directly, but it would sure be sweet ...

[CWW]

And this is precisely why no devout Roman Catholic should send thier child to Notre Dame. And that goes for Georgetown too!

[CWW]

And this is precisely why no devout Roman Catholic should send thier child to Notre Dame. And that goes for Georgetown too!

[CWW]

And this is precisely why no devout Roman Catholic should send thier child to Notre Dame. And that goes for Georgetown too!

[CWW]

And this is precisely why no devout Roman Catholic should send thier child to Notre Dame. And that goes for Georgetown too!

[LasVegasMac]

University of Notre Dame President, Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., announced today that he has approved campus performances of the lurid play, "The Vagina Monologues,"

10 yrs ago a Priest asked me why, accusing tone in use, I would dare leave the Lord's way...and leave the Catholic Church.

My response, "You got your head stuck in the sand, bud."

[Amendment10]

Romans 1:25-27 tells us that same-sex sexual relationships are a consequence of idolatry. In other words, such relationships are a consequence of disobeying the 1ST COMMANDMENT, a major aspect of the GREATEST COMMANDMENT, to love the jealous God with all your being.

Homosexuals need to keep in mind, however, that the good news of the gospel is not about how God despises same-sex sexual relationships. In fact, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 indicates that certain members of that church had been slaves to such relationships but had been cleansed in Jesus' name. So these former homosexual had evidently repented and accepted God's grace to straighten their lives out.

John 3:16
Revelation 3:20

[shibumi]

I am a Notre Dame Grad, originally class of 1970, but graduated in 1975.

I can laugh off lousy football, but this sickens me to the core of my being.

I am ashamed of my university.

[Cousin Eddie]

Another Domer here, and this stinks. I hope the Pope gives Jenkins a not-so-subtle jab.

[LasVegasMac]

I am ashamed of my university.

Oh man.

ND was it for a young one watching college football.

And that school was the pillar for the faith.

Not 5 minutes ago, I sent a "are you really that stupid?" email to them....."pray@nd.edu"

"With all due respect, from a life long Roman Catholic.

"University of Notre Dame President, Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., announced today that he has approved campus performances of the lurid play, "The Vagina Monologues,"

Please, pass my thoughts on to 'Father Jenkins' - "go pound sand, moron. You don't deserve the respect of your title. You are a complete disgrace to everything the Catholic religion stands for. You should be ashamed of yourself.

You are playing politics, you fool. You truly disgust me.

No more ND football games in this house.

No more Notre Dame anything in this house."

Father Jenkins needs his holy a$$ kicked, right friggin' now!

Unbelievable..........

[Salvation]

Write to them. Call them. Withold your alumni donations. They will change!