He's Bishop of Rome, not of Ft. Wayne-South Bend. He does his part by blocking pro-abort Ambassador-nominees from the Obama Administration --- which he has reportedly done three times now--- :o)
Seriously, this is the Catholic understanding of the role of bishop (each one being strictly responsible for his own diocese) plus the Catholic principle of subsidiarity (every task should be carried out by the smallest or most local unit which is competent to do it; or in other words, local responsibilities are not to be absorbed by central control.)
I do hope the top canonical judge (+Raymond Burke in Rome, an excellent canon lawyer) is advising Bp D'Arcy on the full scope of his options as bishop. I'd like to see D'Arcy rescind Notre Dame's privilege of calling itself a Catholic university, rescind permission for the traditional Mass celebrated on campus in conjunction with the commencement, and suspend Fr. Jenkns' right to function as a priest in the diocese, for defiance. (Yes, I'm the type who would like to go straight to the canonical axe, but that's probably a flaw on my part.)
Incidentally,the level of bishop activity is exceptionally good, and we can only press on strongly for more. So, have you contacted yours?
Catholic Bishops Alphabetically
[Here Mrs. Don-o starts banging both her tambourines and leading a chorus of "We-e-e- are the Chu-u-ur-r-r-ch..."]
:o)
Christifideles (that's us!) Do your part!
A billboard with “What if Norte Dame, Mary, had aborted her child?” might work.
The Pope certainly can get involved, big time. He is the top of the chain of command, the bishops answer to him.
Certainly he can do plenty to show his disapproval of the entire debacle.
He may not be able to stop it, but he can encourage his clergy and flock to 1. not be in attendance, and 2. He can end Vatican support of ND if it exists and ask Catholics to cease giving to the institution.
The institution would suffer greatly because of his actions on this.
That should do it.
Have you seen this yet?
Judge John T. Noonan Jr., the 1984 recipient of the Laetare Medal, has accepted an invitation to deliver an address in the spirit of the award at Notre Dame’s 164th University Commencement Ceremony on May 17. His speech will be in lieu of awarding the medal this year.
“In thinking about who could bring a compelling voice, a passion for dialogue, great intellectual stature, and a deep commitment to Catholic values to the speaking role of the Laetare Medalist – especially in these unusual circumstances – it quickly became clear that an ideal choice is Judge Noonan,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of Notre Dame. “This commencement ceremony, more than anything else, is a celebration of our students and their families. Judge Noonan will join with President Obama and other speakers in that celebration, sending them from our campus and into the world with sound advice and affirmation.
“Since Judge Noonan is a previous winner of the Laetare Medal, we have decided, upon reflection, to not award the medal this year.”
NO Fr. Jenkins, you were told to stuff it by a Catholic whose faith is more important to her than celebrity.
Jenkins does not deserve either of his positions, that of a Priest and as the presidnet of a Catholic University.
I’ll surely be in confession this week with the thoughts I’m having about this man.