Posted on 05/11/2009 11:51:24 AM PDT by wagglebee
South Bend, IN (LifeNews.com) -- Notre Dame students who don't want to attend a graduation ceremony involving pro-abortion President Barack Obama put together alternate plans. Today, they announced that Father Frank Pavone, the director of Priests for Life, will lead prayer at a pro-life prayer vigil.
The Class of 2009 Vigil for Life will be celebrated at Sunday's commencement ceremony at the same time as the graduation event.
In standing with these students, I am standing with the true spirit of Notre Dame: a pro-life spirit, in harmony with human reason and Catholic Faith," Father Pavone told LifeNews.com on Monday.
"The scandal that has been generated does not represent what Notre Dame is all about," Pavone added. "It represents a radical betrayal of what Notre Dame is all about."
Pavone said the scandal has resulted in pro-life Catholics standing up for the teachings of the Catholic Church and wanting to hold the university accountable to them.
Hundreds of thousands of Catholics, hundreds of priests, and dozens of bishops have called upon Notre Dame to end this scandal by withdrawing its invitation to President Obama," he said. "The result of that demand is not in our control."
Pavone told LifeNews.com he thinks pro-life students should exercise their right not to attend the graduation ceremony, where President Obama will give the commencement address and receive an honorary degree.
"One final response to this scandal is fully in the control of each graduating senior: don't show up. Don't participate in an event which will only serve to obscure rather than highlight the Churchs pro-life teaching and the true spirit of Notre Dame," Pavone continued.
"The seniors who do this are manifesting the real meaning of commencement: they are carrying out the witness to truth and service that their hard-earned degrees have prepared them to give in the world," he added.
Some pro-life students plan to join Pavone for the alternative event, but others plan to conduct their own protest during the graduation ceremonies, ND Response, the pro-life collection of student groups, told LifeNews.com last week.
"It certainly appears obvious from these announced plans that a large or perhaps the sole focus of that response is a boycott," ND Response indicated. "There also may be other small groups or individuals amongst the 2009 graduates and their guests who have their own ideas about raising the pro-life issue to Mr. Obama inside the Joyce Center."
The students say they want a focus on peaceful and respectful opposition, especially in light of some of the more in-your-face opposition appearing at their campus in recent days along with the arrest of some pro-life advocates.
Related web sites:
Priests for Life - http://www.PriestsforLife.org
Notre Dame response - http://www.ndresponse.com
To which Ohbummer responded, quoting the English king Henry II: “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?”
I beg to differ.
First, the pro-life movement doesn't put out good money to produce and distribute ads to appeal to "pro-lifers." Why would we do that? (Although admittedly, we do way too much of it: appealing to the converted, preaching to the choir.)
We need to appeal precisely to people who don't (yet) agree with us.If somebody sees the ad and thinks,"Hmm, there's some hidden and mysterious potentiol in even fatherless unborn babies conceived under less-than-optimal conditions, 'cause look at Obama," they're just 1/2 a heart away from, "It's probably not such a terrific ideaz to kill millions of unborn babies."
Second, there are pro-life people who voted for Obama. Self-contradictory? Yes! Illogical? Of course! But don't you realize that people do self-contradictory, illogical things all the time?
Obama got huge amjorities in the Black and Hispanic communtiies, and these sae commnities routinely poll significantly more por-life than the white community does. But they also have significantly higher abortion rates.
What's the explanation? Maybe they "feel" forced by circumstances to get abortions which they "feel" they wouldn't have chosen in better circumstances? Myabe they get abortions they later definitely regret? Maybe they're confused and ambivalent about it?
Those are the people whose emotions can be shaken up a bit, and whose minds can be persuaded, and whose hearts can be touched by an like the one about Obama-the-unborn.
Aren't those the people you WANT to shake up, persuade, and touch?
Barack Obama is pro-infanticide. When he stood in support of leaving a baby delivered normally (in spite of an abortion attempt) to die gasping for air for HOURS (no assisted living) in a hospital utility closet, he showed that he goes beyond just supporting abortion. He supports killing babies that do nothing but “punish” a woman (even though they could be put up for adoption).
You can forget that. Any place where the President speaks will be a restricted airspace. Post-9/11, you can expect a severe response to any aircraft violating that restriction.
So put up your own billboard, sport.
ping to 162. Don’t know if it will get through to its intended, but, as always, good points made.
It’s a good billboard, but it is a mistake to believe that Obama’s war on children ends at birth.
re: 49
Lovely billboard!!!
Thanks for the update - it would be woderful justice for obama to show up to an empty assembly - one with zero graduates !!
Agreed.
The Class of 2009 will remember their graduation with Father Frank Pavone as a time when they stood tall and adhered to their principles of what is right and what is wrong. Their class will be FAMOUS. They will be the class that turned AWAY from what they know to be wrong, wrong, wrong. God bless those students all of them and hope the numbers are BIG ONES. Father Jenkins should “turn in his collar.” He is a disgrace to the Catholic FAITH and to ignore abortion is to believe in murder in my opinion. God bless all those who support LIFE. Amen.
There ya go NYer. In a nutshell! I’m so proud of the students who have taken this stand. They won’t be sorry. They’ll be able to live with themselves and look at themselves every single night in the mirror or ANYTIME they pass a mirror cause they will see a reflection of REAL HOPE, love and courage. Wow...what a story to be able to relate to your children and grandchildren. I know if were my parents or grandparents I would be very, very proud of them all.
Hurray for the student who stand against the murder of the unborn!
Which leads in to the next part of your answer. I agree that there are pro-lifers that voted for Zero. Perhaps people who are not "single-issue" voters. That does not change the basic logical fallacy in the ad (the adulation of an arch-abortionist to make a pro-life point).
Same here.
“It wouldnt matter. The media will take their feed directly from Zeros microphone”
And of course it would be wrong to think about overpowering the media slugs and broadcasting what was really happening.
“It wouldnt matter. The media will take their feed directly from Zeros microphone”
And of course it would be wrong to think about overpowering the media slugs and broadcasting what was really happening.
“Drat. Well, its better than nothing.”
Actually, it may be better than the original if it shows some people what a pack of Nazis the Obamazoids really are.
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