Free Republic

ARLEN SPECTER would never have made it into "Profiles In Courage." Unlike the senators described in John F. Kennedy's book - men who remained true to their principles, even when it meant paying a steep political price - Specter has never been celebrated for his backbone. Forty-odd years ago, Specter abandoned the Democrats in order to win election to Congress as a Republican; five days ago, he abandoned the Republicans in order to win reelection as a Democrat. As he announced his defection, he all but admitted that he was acting out of naked expediency. "I have . . ....

I am all for an identifiable Catholic presence in the public square. That said, this group is becoming more and more divisive: Catholic Democrats. Here is their latest defense of Notre Shame, which involves the denigration of Amb. Mary Ann Glendon. My emphases and comments. Catholic Democrats Deplores Ambassador Glendon’s Undiplomatic Withdrawal from Notre Dame Commencement Decision Not in Step with Majority of Catholics  [This group is more interested in polling data than Catholic teaching.  For them the "majority" gets to decide what is right when it come to Catholic identity.] Who Support the President’s Social Justice Policies Boston, MA...

Flash: Fr. Jenkins announces he will transfer Laetare Medal This has all the signs of a knee-jerk half-baked response to Glendon's morning bombshell: Statement by Father John Jenkins on the Laetare Medal The following statement from Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame, is in response to the decision by Mary Ann Glendon to decline acceptance of the University’s Laetare Medal: “We are, of course, disappointed that Professor Glendon has made this decision. It is our intention to award the Laetare Medal to another deserving recipient, and we will make that announcement as soon as...

Ivy League law professors are often derided by folks on the center-to-right side of the political spectrum as out-of-touch, Volvo-driving, ivory-tower liberals. While we haven't done our own research on the exact degree to which that's true, we do suspect that the faculties at the top law schools tilt to the political left (though whether Volvos are indeed the car of choice, we have no idea). That said, we were reminded today that not everyone is of the same political stripe. Take Harvard Law School's Mary Ann Glendon, a conservative pro-lifer who turned down an award from the University...

Former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican Mary Ann Glendon won't accept the school's Laetare Medal at commencement next month because of its decision to have President Barack Obama speak to graduates. SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican Mary Ann Glendon won't accept the school's Laetare Medal at commencement next month because of its decision to have President Barack Obama speak to graduates. ... The Laetare Medal is considered the most prestigious honor for American Catholics. ...

Monday April 27, 2009 BREAKING: Mary Ann Glendon Refuses Notre Dame Honor over Obama Invitation By Kathleen GilbertNOTRE DAME, Indiana, April 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Mary Ann Glendon, the former United States ambassador to the Vatican who was set to receive the University of Notre Dame's Laetare Medal at the school's commencement on May 17, has written to University president Fr. John Jenkins saying that she will not attend the ceremony or accept the award after all.  Glendon says her refusal stems from the University's persistence in choosing to honor Obama with an honorary degree, despite U.S. Bishops Conference...

April 27, 2009 The Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.PresidentUniversity of Notre Dame Dear Father Jenkins, When you informed me in December 2008 that I had been selected to receive Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal, I was profoundly moved. I treasure the memory of receiving an honorary degree from Notre Dame in 1996, and I have always felt honored that the commencement speech I gave that year was included in the anthology of Notre Dame’s most memorable commencement speeches. So I immediately began working on an acceptance speech that I hoped would be worthy of the occasion, of the honor of the...

South Bend, IN -- Former Vatican ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, a respected pro-life advocate and a Harvard law professor, says she will not speak at the University of Notre Dame because pro-abortion President Barack Obama will be giving the commencement address the same day.

First, as a longtime consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, I could not help but be dismayed by the news that Notre Dame also planned to award the president an honorary degree. This, as you must know, was in disregard of the U.S. bishops’ express request of 2004 that Catholic institutions “should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles” and that such persons “should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” That request, which in no way seeks to control or interfere with an institution’s freedom...

Harvard law professor Mary Ann Glendon DC (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life congressman has issued a letter to Senate Democratic leaders asking them to stop delaying a confirmation vote on a pro-life attorney President Bush nominated to be the ambassador to the Vatican. Rep. Vito Fossella wants the Senate to confirm the appointment before Pope Benedict XVI visits the U.S. next year.Fossella, a New York Republican, wrote to Senators Hillary Clinton, Charles Schumer, Joe Biden and Richard Luger on Wednesday.The nomination of Harvard law professor Mary Ann Glendon has been on hold due, in part, to blanket Democratic opposition to all...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's nomination of Harvard Law School professor Mary Ann Glendon as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican is being held up in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, raising the possibility that the post may be vacant when Pope Benedict XVI visits the United States in April. The selection of anti-abortion advocate Glendon is opposed by Catholics for a Free Choice. No official holds on her confirmation have been filed, but failure to schedule a hearing blocks her confirmation. She is caught up in blanket Democratic opposition to Bush's final nominees. Business tycoon Francis Rooney, current ambassador to the...

Professor Glendon is the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School...she is the President of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences...she led the delegation of the Holy See to the Beijing Conference on Women. She is an expert on International Law and Human Rights and has written perhaps the most respected book on the History of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.... She has led a diplomatic delegation and has earned respect among Islamic, South American, and African nations.... She is intelligent and conservative. She would be a great voice for America at the United Nations!