Notre Dame sticking with Obama for commencement

Chicago Tribune ^ | AP

[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.

[Godwin1]

Neither Bush president advocated the pitiless slaughter of unborn children, for any reason or no reason, through all nine months of gestation. Neither Bush promised that he would use money extracted from the taxpayer to conduct the killings at public expense.

[Cousin Eddie]

Not a snowball’s chance...unfortunately.

[jobim]

I received this email from Eric Scheidler at the Pro-Life Action League:

I've never seen a campaign take off like this!
People across the country are OUTRAGED that President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver the commencement address at the University of Notre Dame on May 17.

President Obama has attacked the sanctity of life -- a central teaching of the Catholic Church -- on a WEEKLY basis since taking office.

It's easy to understand why Obama would be eager to speak at Notre Dame. He's looking for legitimacy with Catholics. Obama can see how strongly the Catholic bishops are speaking about the duty of Catholics to vote pro-life. He's trying to undermine their teaching authority so he can win re-election in 2012.

But what on earth is University of Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins thinking? Why is Fr. Jenkins allowing this beloved Catholic institution to be exploited by the most pro-abortion president in U.S. history?

Whatever Fr. Jenkins is thinking, we have to keep up the pressure on him to drop Obama from the graduation ceremony on May 17.

So today I'm writing to ask you to do THREE THINGS:

1. CALL Fr. Jenkins office.
Lots of people have sent e-mails. I've received copies of many of these. But now we have to start making PHONE CALLS -- we need to tie up the phones at N.D. Fr. Jenkins' number is 574-631-3903. If you get a busy signal or the voicemail is full, try again in a couple of hours -- or try again tomorrow.

2. JOIN the Fabebook group protesting Obama's appearance.
Some pro-life students at Notre Dame set up this group over the weekend. If you have a Facebook account, please join the new group -- already nearing 1,000 members:
http://tinyurl.com/NotreDameScandal

3. CLEAR your calendar for May 17.
If Fr. Jenkins doesn't do the right thing and dis-invite Barack Obama, pro-life groups from across the Midwest -- starting with the Pro-Life Action League -- have pledged to protest. So be ready to join a once-in-a-life-time MASSIVE pro-life protest in South Bend, Indiana on May 17.

As I mentioned Friday, my father graduated from Notre Dame in 1950. If you haven't seen his remarks on the Obama invitation, I suggest you check them out:
http://prolifeaction.org/#notredame

[cornelis]

Hmm.. Looking at the calendar for May 17 . . .

[DustyMoment]

It should be interesting to see how many graduates boycott their own graduation as a protest to the Obamoron.

More and more of his clueless supporters are waking up to the nightmare they gave the United States . . . . . and they don’t like what they see.

The Obamoron’s support is tanking and his poll numbers keep falling.

[irish guard]

No way

[TornadoAlley3]

Thank you.

[elpadre]

“....said Monday that the “controversy over commencement speakers at Catholic universities pops up every spring along with the tulips....”

this would not be the case if the university presidents were not always trying to push the envelope and knowingly cause controversy.

ND knew well the church orthodox would be terribly upset, but cared not a whit.

shame on them!

[elpadre]

Jesus intended Churches and their members are to be a plumb line for all society to measure behavior. It seems the plumb at ND has fallen away.

[Salvation]

FReep these links to Notre Dame and the Bishop

All alums can withold donations too.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2210995/posts?page=28#28

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2210995/posts?page=87#87

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2210995/posts?page=101#101

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2210995/posts?page=102#102

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2212664/posts?page=29#29

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2212664/posts?page=37#37

[Salvation]

I really do hope that the Bishop removes Jenkins as President of the University of Notre Dame. and his boss, Tyson, too.

The buck has to stop with the bishop

[Salvation]

Notre Dame is run by the Order of the Holy Cross. Jenkins is not a Jesuit.

[Salvation]

NO.

[Salvation]

Where are you getting Reese. Fr. Jenkins is the head guy at Notre Dame.

[BatGuano]

Dick Ebersole signed them to a long term contract years ago.

He is President of NBC Sports and a very smart and powerful exec who takes advantage of the national interest in ND football. As simple as that. Of course he has no input into who is hired to coach the team and the coaches chosen over the past decade have been average at best. The last one doesn't even look like an athlete!

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

I hope Notre Dame never wins another football game.

[Cousin Eddie]

Why post this to me? All I did was respond to a poster who speculated that ND never invited either President Bush. I stated that both were invited. In fact this is my complete post:

“Both Presidents Bush were invited.”

[Cousin Eddie]

Not quite a tradition. Clinton was never invited. Only the ND administration knows why...could it have been because he was pro abortion?

[Ann Archy]

Reese made the comment.