Now, a U.S. cardinal denounces Notre Dame's Obama invite

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo has become the first American cardinal to denounce the University of Notre Dame for inviting Democratic President Barack Obama as its commencement speaker in May and to receive an honorary degree.

Four Catholic bishops have now criticized the school for its decision to invite a pro-choice president to address its university body, including as The Ticket reported here the other day, Bishop John D'Arcy of northern Indiana announcing that he would boycott the famous Catholic school's May 17 commencement exercises over the invitation to the president, who recently broadened funding of stemcell research.

More than 120,000 others have signed an online petition urging the institution to rescind the invitation.

A Notre Dame spokesman for President John Jenkins has stated the school stands firmly by its invitation, one of three commencement address Obama will make this spring.

Now, Cardinal DiNardo has joined the fray over faith, writing in his pastoral newsletter this weekend:

I find the invitation very disappointing. Though I can understand the desire by a university to have the prestige of a commencement address by the President of the United States, the fundamental moral issue of the inestimable worth of the human person from conception to natural death is a principle that soaks all our lives as Catholics, and all our efforts at formation, especially education at Catholic places of higher learning."

The President has made clear by word and deed that he will promote abortion and will remove even those limited sanctions that control this act of violence against the human person.

The Bishops of the United States published a document a few years ago asking all....

...Catholic universities to avoid giving a platform or an award to those politicians or public figures who promote the taking of unborn human life.

Even given the dignity of Office of the President, this offer is still providing a platform and an award for a public figure who has been candid on his pro-abortion views.

Particularly troubling is the Honorary Law Degree since it recognizes that the person is a 'Teacher,' in this case of the Law. I think that this decision requires charitable but vigorous critique.

Cardinal DiNardo was joined in his Notre Dame criticism by fellow Texas Bishop Gregory Aymond of Austin, who denounced the school for not "living up to its Catholic identity."

"In my opinion,” that Bishop writes in his newsletter this week, “it is very clear that in this case the University of Notre Dame does not live up to its Catholic identity in giving this award and their leadership needs our prayerful support.”

Notre Dame has taken special public relations pride in its ability to attract prominent graduation speakers to its South Bend campus over the years, especially newly-installed presidents such as Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Associated Press (Cardinal Daniel DiNardo); University of Notre Dame.

Comments

[James Schwartz]

Backward-thinkers like Pope Benedict and Cardinal DiNardo, while highly learned men, prey on the ignorant and uneducated masses in Africa, Mexico and Latin America. The Cardinal should be deprived of his academic status and confine his remarks to Sunday Mass. One need only drive through AIDS-ravaged African countries or visit the overpopulated streets of East Los Angeles to see the failure of Catholic philosophy to improve social conditions. Behind the Church's ideas is a simple dictum: make more Catholics to fill the pews at any cost. Fortunately, the educated nations of the West are a gathering storm of protest that will expose their greed, zeal and ignorance.

[Ann]

I do NOT think Obama should go to Notre Dame~!!!!
There has been a case of Swine Flu there.
Heaven help us ALL if Biden becomes President.

[Warren Hunt III M.D.]

Senator Edward Kennedy is an apostate from the catholic Church-he is pro-abortion, has led to the death of a Catholic girl, twice divorced, so it breaks my heart to see the catholic Churc give him a burial mass!

[Edward T. Graney]

As we know, the debacle of Notre Dame, once my favorite university, is over, and the pig Obama(I refere to anyone who is pro-choice as a pig, which they are), we must recognize his Eminence, Cardinal Daniel Di Nardo and others for their stand against the abortion murders. Too, it is the responsibility of the six members of the Supreme Court who claim to be Roman Catholic to overturn Roe vs Wade. AND IF THEY DO NOT DO SO THEY OUGHT TO BE EXCOMMUNICATED. This has been the first time in the history of the Court where Roman Catholics have had the majority, and they should take advantage of it and do the 'Christian thing' for a change.

[collene Canter]

Dear Cardinal DiNardo:
Thank you for standing up for what is right re: Notre Dame scandal. What is your take on the immigration issue? Living in Arizona we see and hear a lot concerning immigration.

Thank you and God bless you,

Collene Canter

[Jacqueline]

It behooves me while reading some of these comments that so called Christians and Catholics can be so opposed to the Church's teachings and still call themselves Catholics! Know thy faith! The Catholic Faith is most holy and reverent. God's Holy Word never changes....WE CHANGE! God's Word has been successful as a basis for society for thousands of years....now that secular humanism has infiltrated our land calling the Catholic Faith, Doctrine and Magisterium, etc. antiquated gives your liberal views away. Bad is now good and good is now bad. How intelligent is that? Give me a break.

Secular Humanists can move on and find a new home in a park or an adult store where their liberal ideology will be permitted. Stop persecuting the Catholic Church.

Kudos to the new Cardinal and president of the USCCB, Cardinal DiNardo. Thank you for standing on the Word of Jesus Christ, the name above all others. May you be richly blessed.

[Johannim]

Barach hussein Obama in no way believes in a "right to choice aka holocaust of the unborn". He,barach obama is unabasidly pro abortion, pro genicide.He does not believe paricularly in stem cell research as much as he believes in "embroyonic" stem cell research, there's a hell of a difference. Fear not he Barach Obama is in good company along side the early 20th century American eugenic "scientists" precursors to adolf hitlers final solution & mao & Stalins mass murder of tens of millions of human being in their pursuit of a Socialist paradise.It's time Americans STOPPED worshipping both the office and the person of the presidency, most of these men in the last 100 yrs have gained that office through corruption, influence peddling,an elitist right to rule, kickbacks and hegemony.