Posted on 03/23/2009 4:32:01 PM PDT by Hawk720
The University of Notre Dame is sticking with its invitation to President Obama to speak at its May 17 commencement despite criticism from some Roman Catholics that his views on abortion and stem cell research run counter to Catholic teachings.
"I don't foresee a circumstance in which we would rescind the invitation," Notre Dame spokesman Dennis Brown told The Associated Press in an e-mail message Monday.
The Cardinal Newman Society, an advocacy group for greater orthodoxy on Catholic college and university campuses, has set up a protest Web page, notredamescandal.com, that includes the phone number, e-mail and mailing addresses of Notre Dame's president, the Rev. John Jenkins.
The group calls Obama's upcoming commencement appearance "an outrage and a scandal."
Jenkins issued a statement Monday saying that the invitation did not mean that Notre Dame supported all of Obama's positions.
"The invitation to President Obama to be our Commencement speaker should not be taken as condoning or endorsing his positions on specific issues regarding the protection of human life, including abortion and embryonic stem cell research," Jenkins said. ... But the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Washington-based Jesuit, said Monday that the "controversy over commencement speakers at Catholic universities pops up every spring along with the tulips."
He called the uproar over the president's visit "absurd."
"If Cardinal Edward Egan of New York can invite Obama to speak at the Al Smith dinner in October of 2008 when he was only a presidential candidate, then there is certainly nothing wrong with Notre Dame having the President speak at a commencement," said Reese, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
A senior theology fellow at Georgetown University is part of the PROBLEM, not the solution.
Infanticide must be something that does not bother anyone at Notre Dame. Moving away from God and into the world of liberalism and evil.
REV. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit, is a PATHETIC excuse for a RELIGIOUS person.
Was former president Bush ever invited? I think not ....
Why should it not be? It is, it will be, and it damn well ought to be.
And we are “sticking” to our refusal to send any more donations to ND.
Wasn’t Liberation Theology created by the Jesuits?
Hey Fr, Reese....it’s WAY different having Sen. Obama at an Al Smith dinner with ADULTS of all religions and having the most RADICAL PRO-ABORTION President EVER talking to your YOUNG ADULTS, mostly Catholic!! Geesh.....get some religion.
I would like to see Catholics organize large scale civil disobedience campaigns at Notre Dame. Shut the campus down when Obama shows up. Ruin graduation for every graduate and every family member.
Gee, do I sound like an angry 60s liberal? Too bad.
No it was created by Satan. The Jesuits just learned it from him apparently.
They could just mail me my diploma. There is no way I would sit through this ass hole’s propaganda speech. If forced to come, I would just sit there and yell B-— S-—, and keep repeating BS propaganda, leftist propaganda, communist propaganda.
Maybe......Jesuits have lost their way.
“I don’t foresee a circumstance in which we would rescind the invitation,”
Hhhhhuuuuummmmm, then I don’t foresee a circumstance where my son and I will be traveling back there this year for our usual three home football games which come to roughly $10,000 (three trips each roughly about $3,000) that could have stimulated the University and South Bend’s economy...that’s a good call on ND’s part — I guess I will just give that money to my local conservative instead.
Notre Dame is not a Jesuit institution. It was founded by Brothers of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, but is today an independent institution.
These students need to request their diplomas be mailed to them.
Yeah, screw you Notre Dame!
My son WILL be a football star, and you WILL offer him a scholarship (The good little big Catholic I will make him), and that’s when I will be sure he takes that UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI “convict” scholarship, and I’ll be sure he publicly embarasses you with this fact in 15 years.
Catholics vs. Convicts? How about REAL Catholics vs. Heretics, you suckers!
Notre Dame has a history of poor choices. One, in my memory, was Coach George O’Leary who lied on his resume about his education and football experience. Come to think about it, Obama fits well..birth country?, affirmative action president!, and weak credentials!.
Notre Dame has that huge TV partnership with our friends (gag)at NBC. Is ND now more concerned with how they are perceived by their media overlords, or by the Catholic church? Never use Cardinal Egan as an example of anything good. As a New Yorker, I know that the man is a phony and an idiot. I’ll be kind and not mention how he helped to hide pedofile priests during his time in Bridgeport and NYC.
Many students at Notre Dame are very angry about this. Many people have signed the petition against this and more have emailed the Notre Dame administration.
I would encourage everyone to do the same......with respect.
;-)
Petition: http://notredamescandal.com/SignthePetitiontoFrJenkins/tabid/454/Default.aspx
Office of the President of Notre Dame
http://president.nd.edu/contact-us
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