Notre Dame Becomes the Symbol of Catholic Dissent
The saddest thing of all, and the most tragic, Notre Dame has committed a scandal.
The commencement itself, if you watched it, was a spectacle of non-stop self-congratulation, supercilious flattery, and scripted self-justification. Eloquence was not to be found, though every inane claim to the moral high ground received thunderous applause, until even the robed dignitaries placed carefully behind Obama began to look bewildered. Except for Fr. Jenkins, of course, whose face beamed with the delight of a boy who had avoided punishment for coming home with a failing report card.
PrintWASHINGTON (Inside Catholic) - The "party's over" at Notre Dame, as the old Comden and Green song says:
The party's over
It's time to call it a day
They've burst your pretty balloon
And taken the moon away
It's time to wind up the masquerade
Just make your mind up the piper must be paid
Notre Dame chose to honor President Obama. Fr. Jenkins defended the choice with arguments that should make a freshman blush. The mainstream media glossed over the widespread criticism, the withdrawal of Amb. Mary Ann Glendon, and ridiculed demonstrators, like Fr. Frank Pavone, praying at the university's gate.
But at the end the day, the party's over and Notre Dame will pay for the piper for many years to come.
What is the price?
ND has become the symbol of dissent in the Catholic Church (a designation actually deserved by Boston College).
Many bishops will no longer support the institution and many prospective students and their parents will look elsewhere. Without those students, and the goodwill of the bishops, ND will become even more secular than it already is.
Until Fr. Jenkins leaves, and the board membership is overhauled, ND has destroyed its relationship with thousands of alums and hundreds of significant donors. Millions will be lost by the university over the next decade.
The saddest thing of all, and the most tragic, Notre Dame has committed a scandal that, for the time being, has seriously divided and weakened the evangel of the Catholic Church.
The commencement itself, if you watched it, was a spectacle of non-stop self-congratulation, supercilious flattery, and scripted self-justification. Eloquence was not to be found, though every inane claim to the moral high ground received thunderous applause, until even the robed dignitaries placed carefully behind Obama began to look bewildered. Except for Fr. Jenkins, of course, whose face beamed with the delight of a boy who had avoided punishment for coming home with a failing report card.
I recommend everyone put this behind them and pay attention to the meeting today between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House. The president is far better on the issue of Israel and Palestine than he is on the Catholic Church and its teaching on life issues.
The party's over
It's time to call it a day
They've burst your pretty balloon
And taken the moon away
It's time to wind up the masquerade
Just make your mind up the piper must be paid
Notre Dame chose to honor President Obama. Fr. Jenkins defended the choice with arguments that should make a freshman blush. The mainstream media glossed over the widespread criticism, the withdrawal of Amb. Mary Ann Glendon, and ridiculed demonstrators, like Fr. Frank Pavone, praying at the university's gate.
But at the end the day, the party's over and Notre Dame will pay for the piper for many years to come.
What is the price?
ND has become the symbol of dissent in the Catholic Church (a designation actually deserved by Boston College).
Many bishops will no longer support the institution and many prospective students and their parents will look elsewhere. Without those students, and the goodwill of the bishops, ND will become even more secular than it already is.
Until Fr. Jenkins leaves, and the board membership is overhauled, ND has destroyed its relationship with thousands of alums and hundreds of significant donors. Millions will be lost by the university over the next decade.
The saddest thing of all, and the most tragic, Notre Dame has committed a scandal that, for the time being, has seriously divided and weakened the evangel of the Catholic Church.
The commencement itself, if you watched it, was a spectacle of non-stop self-congratulation, supercilious flattery, and scripted self-justification. Eloquence was not to be found, though every inane claim to the moral high ground received thunderous applause, until even the robed dignitaries placed carefully behind Obama began to look bewildered. Except for Fr. Jenkins, of course, whose face beamed with the delight of a boy who had avoided punishment for coming home with a failing report card.
I recommend everyone put this behind them and pay attention to the meeting today between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House. The president is far better on the issue of Israel and Palestine than he is on the Catholic Church and its teaching on life issues.
- - -
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I intend to find out if any of the money my family has pledged to The Bishops Appeal Goes to N.D. If so, we will not honor our pledge .
Jailing Catholic priests and other Catholics for protesting the murder of the unborn on the campus grounds of a Catholic University. Good God, what has become of us? What has happened to my most beloved university, Our Ladys University, Notre Dame? And how is it that us Catholics gave a platform to the worlds foremost abortionist and allowed him to give an address to our students and send them off into the world believing that abortion is perfectly acceptable? And then we honored him with an honory degree in law? Surely Our Holy Mother must be weeping! Will w eCathoices now become aroused enough to understand that not only are our Catholic values being attacked, but our very religion!
Apart from all of the noise in the liberal media and from elected leaders, please remember to simply pray on this issue regularly. Your prayers will have a greater long term impact than contributing to this web board.
I have more than enough give my comments on this brave website for the Faith. For all those who defended the event to occur as it was and try making rationale for the symbolism it brought I say: stop defending with your ridiculous excuses! I have partial agreement, but the objective view is given: University of Notre Dame is now the 21st century symbol (representing American Catholicism signfying our moral-spiritual decline as the faithful in the most free and democratic nation on Earth) of Catholic dissent in every sense of the word. Unfortunately, it is not the only one, but the most prominent in making a graduation ceremony into a politicalized event-miraculously better if the leader of the free world would made a change of heart. It did not and so the scandal remains. In my heart, I know the majority of the Catholic Church in America-the real faithful-are not at all impressed nor pleased by what has occured. As the Apostles said, "It is better to obey God rather than men" in the Sacred Scripture....so must we take a stand despite what others think or feel. This is not politics-it is moral truth! I pray for that school and all Catholic schools which-whether publicly known or not-that have disobeyed the Lord and His Church in some way. For those that truly kept faith, God bless them with more students to come. And this is not ONLY for America's Catholic schools, but around the world. A sign of the times indeed....God help us all!
Obviously this problem was here long before obama kicked the door in, ever the opportunist, he saw a crack in the foundation of the catholic church, and jenkins, so he took it, what would you expect the deceiver to do? at this point in time it is obvious more than half of our "faithful" have left us. This is a catholic problem 1st then a secular.
The saddest thing I saw aside from the scandal of the actual presence and honoring of the President, was the jailing of people whose "crime?" was to pray and silently witness. It is unbelievable that a Cathoolic institution would have their brother and sister Catholics treated this way. I feel like we have become a Church at war with itself.
Notre Dame pray for us.