Notre Dame: 2 More Bishops and a College President
Your decision to provide President Obama with a national platform -- worse yet, to honor him with an honorary doctorate of law degree -- is truly tragic, and will have disastrous, long-lasting consequences.
No authentically Catholic organization can rightly honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles, nor should they be given awards, honors, or platforms which would suggest support for their actions until they align themselves with the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. (Fr. Cook)
PrintMANASSAS, Va. (Cardinal Newman Society) - The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) petition at NotreDameScandal.com, calling on University of Notre Dame President Father John Jenkins to rescind the commencement invitation to President Barack Obama, has grown to more than 230,000 supporters as of early Thursday, April 2. Yesterday, two more US bishops and a Catholic College president joined the growing chorus of those opposing Notre Dame’s decision.
“The faithful Catholics praying in solidarity with the Notre Dame students this Sunday afternoon will be glad to have the moral and spiritual support of these Catholic leaders,” said CNS President Patrick Reilly.
The Cardinal Newman Society is encouraging Catholics to join their prayers to those of the students at NDResponse.com on Sunday, April 5, at 2:40 p.m. as they pray the Holy Rosary for an end to the scandal at the University of Notre Dame.
In a public statement issued yesterday, Archbishop John Myers of the Archdiocese of Newark said, “When we extend honors to people who do not share our respect and reverence for life in all stages, and give them a prominent stage in our parishes, schools and other institutions, we unfortunately create the perception that we endorse their public positions on these issues. We cannot justify such actions, and the Bishops have stated so clearly and strongly.”
Archbishop Myers and several other U.S. bishops opposing the scandal at Notre Dame have either directly referenced or alluded to the 2004 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops statement, Catholics in Political Life, which stated, “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.”
Archbishop Eusebius Beltran of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, also made a clear and concise public statement yesterday on the Notre Dame scandal.“President Obama, by word and action, has approved of abortion and other atrocities against human life. Therefore he deserves no recognition at a Catholic institution,” the archbishop said. The growing list of 16 statements by U.S. bishops criticizing the decision of the University of Notre Dame to honor President Obama on the NotreDameScandal.com website.
In addition to the two archbishops, Father Robert Cook, president of Wyoming Catholic College, founded by former Cheyenne Bishop David Ricken in 2005, sent the following letter to Notre Dame regarding the commencement invitation to President Obama.
Rev. John Jenkins, CSC
University of Notre Dame
400 Main Building
Notre Dame, IN 46556
March 31, 2009
Dear Fr. Jenkins,
As President of Wyoming Catholic College, I share and understand the burden of leading an institution of Catholic higher education. These are difficult times in our culture, both morally and spiritually. Mother Church is counting on us to provide authentic Catholic formation to the young men and women who have chosen to entrust their education to our hands.
While I do not doubt your concern for the spiritual and academic welfare of your students, I must say that I am deeply disappointed by your decision to honor President Obama, and by your response both to the criticism of the American Catholic community and to that of your own Bishop.
Your decision to provide President Obama with a national platform -- worse yet, to honor him with an honorary doctorate of law degree -- is truly tragic, and will have disastrous, long-lasting consequences. As Bishop D’Arcy wrote in his statement, you are providing scandal to your students, your alumni, and to all those who look to Notre Dame as the model for Catholic higher education in the United States.
While President Obama may have “spoken eloquently and powerfully about race” and “has taken leadership of the country facing many challenges” with “intelligence, courage and honesty,” his pro-abortion agenda trumps it all. No authentically Catholic organization can rightly honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles, nor should they be given awards, honors, or platforms which would suggest support for their actions until they align themselves with the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.
As Catholic institutions, we are charged with the serious responsibility of maintaining our Catholic identity in the midst of ever-growing resistance from our society and our world. Wyoming Catholic College is proud to be one of the 21 Catholic colleges selected by the Cardinal Newman Society to appear in their “Catholic College Guide,” in the ranks of authentic, faithful Catholic Colleges.
We are committed to preserving that faithfulness above all else, for it is the key to our very existence as an institution. Furthermore, although our first commencement is two years away at Wyoming Catholic College, I can assure you that we will always adhere to the directives of the 2004 USCCB statement on honoring Catholic politicians. Violating this policy would not only jeopardize the reputation of our college, but more seriously, give scandal to our young Catholic graduates as they prepare to enter the world as living witnesses to the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Wyoming Catholic College Board of Directors and I implore you to reconsider your position, no matter how awkward that action may be. You, your administration, and your students remain in the prayers of the Wyoming Catholic College community.
In Christ, Rev. Robert Cook, President, Wyoming Catholic College, P.O. Box 750, Lander, WY 82520. 307.332.2930
“The faithful Catholics praying in solidarity with the Notre Dame students this Sunday afternoon will be glad to have the moral and spiritual support of these Catholic leaders,” said CNS President Patrick Reilly.
The Cardinal Newman Society is encouraging Catholics to join their prayers to those of the students at NDResponse.com on Sunday, April 5, at 2:40 p.m. as they pray the Holy Rosary for an end to the scandal at the University of Notre Dame.
In a public statement issued yesterday, Archbishop John Myers of the Archdiocese of Newark said, “When we extend honors to people who do not share our respect and reverence for life in all stages, and give them a prominent stage in our parishes, schools and other institutions, we unfortunately create the perception that we endorse their public positions on these issues. We cannot justify such actions, and the Bishops have stated so clearly and strongly.”
Archbishop Myers and several other U.S. bishops opposing the scandal at Notre Dame have either directly referenced or alluded to the 2004 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops statement, Catholics in Political Life, which stated, “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.”
Archbishop Eusebius Beltran of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, also made a clear and concise public statement yesterday on the Notre Dame scandal.“President Obama, by word and action, has approved of abortion and other atrocities against human life. Therefore he deserves no recognition at a Catholic institution,” the archbishop said. The growing list of 16 statements by U.S. bishops criticizing the decision of the University of Notre Dame to honor President Obama on the NotreDameScandal.com website.
In addition to the two archbishops, Father Robert Cook, president of Wyoming Catholic College, founded by former Cheyenne Bishop David Ricken in 2005, sent the following letter to Notre Dame regarding the commencement invitation to President Obama.
Rev. John Jenkins, CSC
University of Notre Dame
400 Main Building
Notre Dame, IN 46556
March 31, 2009
Dear Fr. Jenkins,
As President of Wyoming Catholic College, I share and understand the burden of leading an institution of Catholic higher education. These are difficult times in our culture, both morally and spiritually. Mother Church is counting on us to provide authentic Catholic formation to the young men and women who have chosen to entrust their education to our hands.
While I do not doubt your concern for the spiritual and academic welfare of your students, I must say that I am deeply disappointed by your decision to honor President Obama, and by your response both to the criticism of the American Catholic community and to that of your own Bishop.
Your decision to provide President Obama with a national platform -- worse yet, to honor him with an honorary doctorate of law degree -- is truly tragic, and will have disastrous, long-lasting consequences. As Bishop D’Arcy wrote in his statement, you are providing scandal to your students, your alumni, and to all those who look to Notre Dame as the model for Catholic higher education in the United States.
While President Obama may have “spoken eloquently and powerfully about race” and “has taken leadership of the country facing many challenges” with “intelligence, courage and honesty,” his pro-abortion agenda trumps it all. No authentically Catholic organization can rightly honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles, nor should they be given awards, honors, or platforms which would suggest support for their actions until they align themselves with the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.
As Catholic institutions, we are charged with the serious responsibility of maintaining our Catholic identity in the midst of ever-growing resistance from our society and our world. Wyoming Catholic College is proud to be one of the 21 Catholic colleges selected by the Cardinal Newman Society to appear in their “Catholic College Guide,” in the ranks of authentic, faithful Catholic Colleges.
We are committed to preserving that faithfulness above all else, for it is the key to our very existence as an institution. Furthermore, although our first commencement is two years away at Wyoming Catholic College, I can assure you that we will always adhere to the directives of the 2004 USCCB statement on honoring Catholic politicians. Violating this policy would not only jeopardize the reputation of our college, but more seriously, give scandal to our young Catholic graduates as they prepare to enter the world as living witnesses to the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Wyoming Catholic College Board of Directors and I implore you to reconsider your position, no matter how awkward that action may be. You, your administration, and your students remain in the prayers of the Wyoming Catholic College community.
In Christ, Rev. Robert Cook, President, Wyoming Catholic College, P.O. Box 750, Lander, WY 82520. 307.332.2930
- - -
The Cardinal Newman Society is dedicated to renewing and strengthening Catholic identity at America's 224 Catholic colleges and universities.This article is used with permission.
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Kudos to the bishops and church clergy who have the strength and fortitude to stand up and be counted as defenders of the faith. Where is the hierarchy in this scandal? Are they afraid to speak up? We are at a critical time in our history and need leaders more than ever. We need heroes who will stand up for the common man and represent what is right and good.
Notre Dame is a supreme embarassment to our faith and Father Jenkins needs to be reminded of what his role is in this life and holding Obama as an example of what is good and honorable to Catholics is not supporting his Catholic ideology that he is supposed to represent.
Kudos to the Bishops and clergy who have the strength and intestinal fortitude to publicy cry out against this Scandal.
But where is the rest of the Church hierarchy??? At a time that demands, cries out for leadership the voices are limited and need the strength of the authority of the church, full strength. Any fear of "young people thinking the church is old fashioned" is nonsense. We need our leaders, where are our church heroes???? Stand up and be counted on what the Church teaches. It's the time!
If EVERY Bishop took a stand to oppose the culture of death president at a Catholic university, perhaps progress would be made..!
On this Good Friday I received our diocesan newspaper. I was not surprised to see statements from Bishops who are complaining about the laity calling on them to be leaders in this latest scandal. Cardinal George who originally released a good statement is now doing the moon walk. One Bishop complained the letters he received were harsh, and another said the young people would think we were to old fashion (I am paraphrasing). I would say the laity was only harsh when compared to the Bishops own weak kneed response. As far as the young people, what young people? Look at your congregation Bishop. The young people are all down the street at the Evangelical Church where the preacher is telling them to obey the Ten Commandments or they will go to hell.
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
President, Notre Dame University
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
Dear Fr. Jenkins,
Faithful Catholics are Outraged. You are well aware of the Holy Father's teaching. You are well aware of the directives of the US Catholic Bishops. You are giving a platform to a man who is the greatest threat to the unborn in the history of our country.
Christianity is about surrender, not prideful arrogance. We pray: "Thy Will be done", not "our will be done". We choose to surrender to the teaching of the Church, not because we are thoughtless automatons, but because we are thoughtful followers of Christ. The Holy Father, descended from Blessed Peter, is the Vicar of Christ on Earth. We are called to follow his teaching and that of the Universal Church, enlightened by two thousand years of Holy tradition and the Gospel of our Lord. You have clearly turned away from your responsibility as a Christian, a Catholic and as a priest. You have pridefully placed your will above His.
I join all of my pro-life friends, as well as other faithful Catholics and Christians of other denominations in asking you to reverse course now. There is no shame in admitting a mistake, no loss of honor in surrendering to the Will of our Lord, Jesus Christ. There is great shame and dishonor in continuing along a course of prideful disobedience and allying yourself and the university of Our Lady with the culture of death.
You are in a position of teaching authority. "Of whom much is given, much will be required". You are a "progressive" Catholic and therefore have likely done away with old concepts like the belief in Hell. If you proceed on this course you will no doubt believe in Hell once it becomes your forwarding address.
Frank S. Rosenbloom, M.D.
President of Oregon Right to Life
This is the perfect opportunity for the leadership of the church to define what is means to be Catholic. In addition, the lay faithful are looking for some REAL action on the part of the USCCB. Initially, the USCCB was going to demand the excommunication of ALL pro-death "Catholic" politicians. Their lack of action is the basis for this crisis.
IN addition, the USCCB and the Vatican MUST formally rebuke ALL of the leadership at Notre Dame who are involved at the continuing scandal for their disobedience to the mission of ALL Catholic Universities! This scandal is just the tip of the iceberg and ALL Catholic leaders must be put on notice that further failure to adhere to Catholic values will NOT be tolerated! Presently, we look like hypocrites and fools. The church leadership can NOT allow this to continue! This test of faith MUST be met with the strongest possible response! Our Lord is WEEPING over the lack of faith within His church!
Notre Dame has a standing invitation for the President of the United States, regardless of who it is, to speak at Commencement. As the President, Barack Obama would be invited.
Perhaps Fr. John Jenkins should have exercised some common sense and simply NOT invited him. Surely, he KNEW what was going to happen when this invitation became public.
Perhaps Obama's office should have shown more respect for the institution and declined the invitation. But why would it? Look at the enormity of the platform Obama has gotten since this hit the media feeding frenzy. Like he needed a larger platform. ;o) There are those who believe he's thumbing his nose at all Catholics by accepting this invitation. That notion is certainly open for debate, though he could also be feeling great honor at having been asked.
In a weird way, it's good for us. The insulting implication of it is mobilizing Catholics and non Catholics alike. Finally, the silent majority is speaking out. I don't know how much more it will take to open our eyes; Obama might never have been elected without the Catholic vote. Perhaps some of us could have worked harder to get someone else elected. Who knows?
One of the first things he did when he took office was to undo the good things Bush did to protect the unborn. I don't have to list here all the abominations he upholds, the worst of which is taking no extraneous measures to save an aborted baby born alive. Stick it in the corner and let it die. That's despicable. How much more immoral can we, as a people, become?
I don't like this any better than anyone else does but my biggest problem is not with President Obama speaking. It is their conferring the Honorary Degree. An honorary Doctorate of Law when he and his policies are in clear violation of the law of our church is completely hypocritical. It implies that he is someone Notre Dame deems worthy of our highest admiration, someone we should emulate and follow, someone with whom we should be in agreement. According to the USCCB, that is not so in the case of Mr. Obama or anyone else who does not uphold the basic tenets of our faith.
We know, of course, in many ways he is a good person, vibrant, young; he is brilliant. He is a successful politician but as a politician he stands in direct opposition to the teachings of our faith, our church and Notre Dame University.
The entire debacle is a slap in the face to those who defend life, Catholics as well as non Catholics and causes one to question the motives of the President of Notre Dame. Fr. Jenkins had to know the firestorm this would create.
President Obama also knew and decided anyway to come to the most prestigious of all Catholic institutions. Could his purpose be to try and spin his charismatic magic, to bring more of us over to his side of the controversial issues, especially concerning 'life'? Sadly, some of us Catholics are already there. What he and most pro-death advocates don't know is that very often, when properly educated, pro-death people become pro-life.
Truly Pro-life people NEVER become pro-death.
For myself, I'm praying for President Obama to gracefully renege on his acceptance, to show respect for the dissention this has caused within the Catholic Church at large. It should go without saying that we must pray for Fr. Jenkins and his compromised regard for the Magisterium and the USCCB.
I'm also praying for those who are confused and conflicted in this fiasco. You need not be. In 2004, the USCCB issued a statement, "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions." Plain and simple direction from our church fathers, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The bottom line is this: As Catholics, we've withstood worse times than these and regardless of the outcome, the Catholic Church and Notre Dame will remain standing. In the end, we will be stronger, more focused and hopefully, start a journey back to the morality in leadership that we have allowed to slip away. ><>
I agree with Pat's (4/6/09) when she said that ND seems to have lost its soul and their sole mission is money. Unfortunately, that is the one aspect of this President Obama disgrace is that the high-rollers cut off their funds to Fr. Jenkins.
I agree with the person who asked where ALL the condemnations were from ALL the Bishops. I also ask why isn't anyone taking charge and telling Notre Dame NO? The school reports to somebody of higher earthly authority and that person has the right and privelege of sayig no. Why hasn't this happened?
Under Rev. Jenkins leadership Notre Dame has become a corporate university not a Catholic university. They justify honoring the nations number one abortion proponent by comparing it to Bush’s speech during the war in Iraq. Crying their abhorrence of war. They then honor GE. Corp. with the Hesburgh Ethics Award. A company that is one of the top Weapons system developer and manufacture in the world. A company that reportedly shipped Weapons and parts to Iran in violation of a UN weapons ban. Why would Notre Dame do this? Money. The only way Notre Dame is going to get back to what it was is if the Alumni start to withhold financial support.