I just found a picture - it's the professor directly behind Obama.
Posted on 06/01/2009 7:13:10 AM PDT by bronxville
Were Views of Pro-Life Notre Dame Officials, Professors Suppressed on Obama?
by Brian Simboli May 26, 2009
LifeNews.com Note: Brian Simboli has a Ph.D. in philosophy from Notre Dame and an undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College.
It is not hard to learn about visible aspect of the recent protests at Notre Dame. A Google search informs us of a significant number of arrests, including the arrest of an elderly priest.
We learn of an alternative commencement. There is an account of discriminatory treatment of a pro-lifer by police that, if true, certainly merits investigation.
But easy to miss, tucked away in some editorials, are some very disturbing testimonials attributed to Notre Dame faculty members and a university administrator. These testimonials, if accurate, bespeak silent protest, unarticulated because careers are at stake.
The first appears in an article available online and in the print edition of Wall Street Journal:
"at Notre Dame today, there is no pro-life organization -- in size, in funding, in prestige -- that compares with the many centers, institutes and so forth dedicated to other important issues ranging from peace and justice to protecting the environment. Perhaps this explains why a number of pro-life professors tell me they must not be quoted by name, lest they face career retaliation."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124269063343832561.html#mod=djemEditorialPage
A second testimonial appeared in National Review, written by Notre Dame alumnus and journalist Freddoso, describing administrators who were critical of Father Jenkins’s decision to confer the honorary doctor on Obama.
According to Freddoso, "even some university administrators sympathized, with a handful of recognizable figures attending ND Response events over the weekend. Few wanted to discuss the issue publicly, however. ‘It has been made clear that dissenting publicly won’t be tolerated,’ said one administrator who requested anonymity."
http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=MDJhNTE3N2YxMTdjNmIwYmVlMWE5ZDhmM2QwMTI0OGI=
If accurate, these testimonials make one wonder if an atmosphere of intimidation now inhibits free and honest expression—and exploration--of views consonant with the tradition that Notre Dame purports to represent. Were these testimonials off-the-cuff, purely situational remarks in response to the recent events? Or do they point to something deeper, something structural?
[...]
Whatever the reality at Notre Dame with respect to the issue of intimidation, one thing is clear. The testimonials mentioned above certainly clash with the attitudes of the university president as expressed in an article from “ND Newswire”, dated 5/17, titled: "Presidents Obama and Jenkins stress importance of dialogue at 164th Commencement".
I have no difficulty whatsoever in believing there was intimidation at ND.
I just found a picture - it's the professor directly behind Obama.
I know that the Pope has way more on his mind than the shenanigans going on at Notre Dame, but I would have thought that something this fundamental, involving the POTUS and one of the premiere Catholic universities in the entire world might warrant some of his attention, and perhaps a comment.
So why is the Holy Father silent?
It’s almost certainly an insignificant piece of data, but for the little it’s worth - I was unaware that Notre Dame even existed before the recent furore. ND might just not be that ‘visible’ overseas.
Or to put it another way, Rome thinks it might be good for us to "enjoy" the fruits of our own stubbornness and rebelliousness. We've fouled our own nest, now we get to clean it up.
How many times has Rome spoken only for AmChurch to flip the middle finger? Maybe the Pope thinks that silence is now the only route. Alternatively, he may think that getting involved would be counterproductive.
I don't think the sense of exasperation with America should be underestimated.
He usually leaves it to the Bishops. Getting rid of Jenkins and the board members is obvious, (other than stripping it of it’s Catholic identity), but the Church has no control over them. They only have control over the Theology arena from what I can gather - that they need to shape up. That said, there have been fairly recent positive changes in ND, small changes, but nonetheless hopeful.
Fair enough, too. I’m in New Zealand, but was born and raised in Canada, a big American Football fan. Hence how I know of Notre Dame and the Fighting Irish, Knute Rockne and “The Gipper” (famously played by Ronald Reagan)...
I saw that man during the graduation. He never clapped, never smiled and was always the last to rise. He was obviously NOT happy to be sharing the stage with the most radically pro abortion president in modern history.
Good, glad someone else saw it. I do believe that many were intimidated at the risk of their job which in one way is a good sign and in another leftie suppression.
“So why is the Holy Father silent?”
In 1990, Pope John Paul II released the document “On Catholic Universities,” saying the schools must adhere to church teaching on faith and morals. The Vatican took further action in 2002, requiring theologians at Catholic schools to receive a “mandatum,” or mandate, from a local bishop, attesting that they follow church doctrine.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2262051/posts
As marshmallow so aptly stated - they flip the middle-finger.
Does it count that the highest American at the Vatican — Abp Burke — came down loud and hard on Jenkins, ND, & Obama?
I also focused on that guy. But I also noticed that he constantly scanned methodically.
IMO he was Secret Service.
> Does it count that the highest American at the Vatican — Abp Burke — came down loud and hard on Jenkins, ND, & Obama?
Sadly, no. In the end, only results matter. Effort is good, but it isn’t the same as Outcome.
Or as Jedi Master Yoda famously said “Do, or do not. There is no try.”
In this case what matters is a Pro-Abortionist was honored at a supposedly Catholic University.
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