So says Cardinal Francis George, who urges Catholics in retribution “to call, to e-mail, to write letters.”
Catholic groups opposed to the president’s stand on abortion and embryonic stem-cell research, including a coalition of student groups at Notre Dame and a growing list of bishops, have mounted a campaign opposing Obama being the ninth U.S. president to address the university in South Bend, Ind., and the sixth to deliver its commencement address.
“Whatever else is clear, it’s clear Notre Dame didn’t understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation, and didn’t anticipate the kind of uproar that would be consequent to the decision, at least not to the extent that it has happened,” said George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
George said Notre Dame embarrassed its own bishop, John D’Arcy of the Diocese of Ft. Wayne-South Bend, who said he will boycott the ceremony.
Notre Dame will give Obama an honorary degree and will listen to what he has to say, which could be inspiring.
It did not endorse his views on abortion or stem cells.
Cardinal George’s tirade obscures some facts.
Obama won a majority of the Catholic vote last Nov. 4.
His vice president, Joe Biden, is Catholic.
Obama did not hide his controversial views on abortion from his vice president or from Catholic voters.
We think it’s great that Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins invited Obama, that he accepted and that both stick to their resolve.
Notre Dame ought to be interested in what a thoughtful chief executive committed to national service and health care for all has to say.
We dare say many in the Notre Dame Catholic community will feel pride at Obama’s visit and might be embarrassed by the tenor of Cardinal George’s remarks that students at Catholic universities only hear from other Catholics who agree with church doctrine on every topic.
The fact is, even American Catholics are divided over such difficult moral issues as stem-cell research and abortion.
It’s particularly important that students be exposed to people with differing views.
It’s a privilege to hear from Obama, a man of faith, strong family values and moral character who has devoted his life to public service when he could have put his Harvard law degree to more selfish pursuits.
He is the man a majority of voters, including a majority of Catholic voters, entrusted to lead our country through perilous times.
Junior Jenn Metz, editor-in-chief of Notre Dame’s student newspaper, was quoted as saying letters from students are 70 percent in favor of Obama’s visit and 30 percent against.
Alumni letters received last week were about evenly divided.
Students are probably more concerned that protesters not mar their ceremony.
Their chief concern certainly isn’t that they can’t listen to the leader of the free world for 20 minutes without it undermining their faith.
Our Founding Fathers separated church and state because they had the vision of a nation in which many religions would live together. To claim a God-given right and duty to force your beliefs on others crosses a line.
Those who differ with your own particular beliefs can still be good, moral people with something to say worth hearing.
