The Catholic identity crisis

New York Daily News ^ | Wednesday, April 8th 2009 | S.E. Cupp

[presidio9]

As Easter approaches, in addition to looking upward, Catholics would be wise to look inward this year, and ask themselves one very important question: Who are we?

Many Catholics are angry that the University of Notre Dame, a private Catholic institution with a 90% Christian enrollment and a crucifix in every classroom, has asked President Obama to speak at its coming commencement.

Francis Cardinal George, archbishop of Chicago, called the invitation an "extreme embarrassment" to Catholics, who consider right-to-life issues among the most fundamental to their faith. Archbishops in Milwaukee and Newark made similar statements. And pro-life students at Notre Dame have formed an opposition group called ND Response, which is leading the charge against Obama's arrival and promises action when and if Obama cometh.

Their collective outrage is understandable. Obama is one of the most liberal pro-choice Democrats on record, and someone whose abortion position is, even by some liberal accounts, extreme. From supporting partial-birth abortion, to opposing born-alive protection for infants, to his suggestion that doctors could be forced to perform abortions even if it is against their religious convictions, the President's views have left many - including non-Catholics - uncomfortable and wary that he will actively attack the pro-life cause.

But the university, an influential Catholic mouthpiece here in the United States, is standing behind its invitation, and its president, the Rev. John Jenkins, has said he cannot foresee any reason to rescind it. Furthermore, it seems as though Notre Dame students, not including those who have joined up with ND Response, are overwhelmingly in favor of Obama's participation in their graduation. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, student letters to the school's newspaper are 70 to 30 in favor of the President's visit.

If it looks like there's an identity crisis within the Catholic contingent, there is - but the divisive episode at Notre Dame was hardly the catalyst. This is a continuation of problems Catholics faced during this presidential campaign and campaigns past, and it's hurting their message and their influence.

Before Obama was elected, the Rev. Jay Scott Newman, a pastor in South Carolina, warned his congregation not to vote "for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists." Newman was immediately rebuked by his own diocese for "politicizing abortion," hardly an apolitical issue and one that Catholics have in fact rightly politicized for years.

While the Catholic leadership around the world condemned candidate Obama for his abortion views, Catholic individuals proudly proclaimed they were backing Barack, either choosing to overlook his views on abortion, or believing his so-called progressive vision of hope was indeed a more convincingly Christian outlook than John McCain's.

Either way, Catholics can now consider themselves wholly responsible for helping to put Barack Obama in office. He captured 53% of the Catholic vote, and the largest advantage among Catholics for a Democrat since Bill Clinton. So the outrage now over a Catholic embrace of the President by a Catholic university, while understandable, seems a bit delayed. If right-to-life issues are truly the backbone of modern Catholic liturgy, and Catholics are in agreement that abortion is a deal-breaker, the election should have been a no-brainer for McCain.

But there is a disconnect among Catholic leaders. While much of the clergy opposes Obama - Catholic bishops gathered in Baltimore just days after he was elected to implore the new President to fight for the unborn child - institutional leaders like Notre Dame's president seem more open to his role as influencer.

Even more alarming for Catholics, though, should be the gap between leadership and laity. A number of lay professors at Notre Dame, which is 80% Catholic, have spoken up in support of the President's arrival. Alumni support of his visit is said to be more mixed than student support, but hardly hostile.

John Daly, the media coordinator for ND Response, explained the divide. "Notre Dame's campus is more conservative than most colleges," Daly said, "but students here were definitely impressed by Obama last November. He was a rock star. Even if they didn't agree with his principles they were more than willing to overlook them because of his charisma." If that's true, Catholics voters of any age who turned a blind eye to Obama's abortion positions got the President they deserve - big on style, questionable on substance.

Catholics have always played an uneasy role in presidential politics. Candidate John F. Kennedy was questioned for being too Catholic and had to publicly back away from any perceived allegiance to the Pope. More than 40 years later, John Kerry wasn't Catholic enough, and so we watched him awkwardly cozy up to Catholic voters by publicly attending Mass. And last year, 53% of them seemingly put one of the most important tenets of their belief system on hold and anointed a pro-choice President. If Notre Dame is having a hard time explaining its invitation to Obama, Catholics will have an even harder time explaining their vote in 2008.

[don-o]

Ouch.

[al_c]

As Easter approaches, in addition to looking upward, Catholics would be wise to look inward this year

Yep! I'm amazed at how many of my brethren voted for and still support TOTUS and his anti-Christian policies.

[Earthdweller]

"...someone whose abortion position is, even by some liberal accounts, extreme."

He's a murderer. The Church and ND are giving an honor to a murderer.

If you think this won't hurt the Church overall, you haven't a brain cell in your head.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Big on style, true.

Not “questionable” on substance — absolutely negative on substance. Hates most of what they stand for.

[EyeGuy]

“Catholic Identity Crisis”.

######

I wonder why.

Is the staunchly, in-your-face, pro-abortion Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi still allowed to receive Holy Communion at her local parish?

[HiTech RedNeck]

The pinnacle of this folly is the honorary degree they intend to give Obama. I wonder whether most of the mob writing in to favor Obama’s appearance at the commencement even has an idea they are going to do that too?

Church, church, church. You love Caesar too much.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Is it the money? Is it their fear that if they get too assertive towards the politicians in their ranks, the church will lose its tax exempt status and thus suffer in donations?

The love of money is the root of all...

[meandog]

Catholics have always played an uneasy role in presidential politics....John Kerry wasn't Catholic enough, and so we watched him awkwardly cozy up to Catholic voters by publicly attending Mass. And last year, 53% of them seemingly put one of the most important tenets of their belief system on hold and anointed a pro-choice President. If Notre Dame is having a hard time explaining its invitation to Obama, Catholics will have an even harder time explaining their vote in 2008.

Because American "Catholics" act more like Episcopalians than Roman Catholics (Those in Ireland, Poland, etc.)

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

"Many Catholics are angry that the University of Notre Dame, a private Catholic institution with a 90% Christian enrollment and a crucifix in every classroom, has asked President Obama to speak at its coming commencement.... Their collective outrage is understandable. Obama is one of the most liberal pro-choice Democrats on record, and someone whose abortion position is, even by some liberal accounts, extreme."

Make no mistake , the people promoting this kind of stuff are not believing Catholics. The colleges were infiltrated by liberals, perverts, heretics, and anti-Catholics. Which category he falls into, take your pick.

[presidio9]

[EyeGuy]

“Is it the money? Is it their fear that if they get too assertive towards the politicians in their ranks, the church will lose its tax exempt status and thus suffer in donations?”

#####

I don’t believe it is money. It is more a matter of tone in my opinion.

In the specific case of the Holy Father’s (whose spirituality and devotion to doing what is right for the Church is absolute and highly admirable), dealings with Pelosi, I felt her admonition should have been more palpable, public and overt. SOME Catholics here disagree with that assessment, so we have a little schism here of our own. LOL.

[presidio9]

What little respect I had for Notre Dame is now gone. Imagine Yeshiva University invting Jimmy Carter to give their keynote address, or Mike Huckabee at Brigham Young. This is a million times worse.

[presidio9]

ping

[HiTech RedNeck]

I guess I can see them wanting to keep it private for decorum’s sake.

But as one Arrogant Bustard suggested, it’s scandalizing. If an organization claiming to be a church of Jesus Christ seems to be doing nothing about its own powerful people spitting in the face of things that the Bible says that God wants, then it makes people wonder if the name of Jesus Christ means anything at all.

And they can pretty well predict that Nancy will NOT listen. So why not make it bold.

[EyeGuy]

The Catholic heirarchy appears to be institutionally averse to drawing a line in the sand. A generous shot of testosterone is sorely needed.

Without ACTIVE, staunch, and rigid adherence to Her dogma, the Church is nothing.

Perhaps, Notre Dame will serve as a catalyst to a great awakening. We shall see.

[EyeGuy]

The Catholic heirarchy appears to be institutionally averse to drawing a line in the sand. A generous shot of testosterone is sorely needed.

Without ACTIVE, staunch, and rigid adherence to Her dogma, the Church is nothing.

Perhaps, Notre Dame will serve as a catalyst to a great awakening. We shall see.

[HiTech RedNeck]

I guess Huckabee doesn’t care too much for Mormon churches, huh.

But at least he does care about most of the moral values that BYU would, and could be persuaded to stick to those topics.

What is Obama going to spew about at Notre Dame, anyhow? “Social justice”? Lots of nice platitudes which hide his real agenda, which is bad enough as it is? Then put abortion on top of that.

[EyeGuy]

“And they can pretty well predict that Nancy will NOT listen. So why not make it bold.”

####

Amen. Amen I say to you.

My point exactly.

Ask the average Catholic, let alone the Christian population at large, what they know about the Pope’s meeting with Pelosi and your point is palpably illustrated.

Yes, the matter of Pelosi’s soul is a private matter, but the Pope also needs to set the tone and lead the way for the Catholic laity. If that requires making a bold public example of Pelosi , so be it.

[presidio9]

"Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?" -Mike Huckabee