Archbishop Chaput on Notre Dame Scandal
Chaput said it was difficult to imagine any way the Obama invitation could be justified in light of the U.S. bishops' 2004 document "Catholics in Political Life".
Archbishop Charles Chaput: Notre Dame didn't need to do this to show its openness to 'dialogue,' And candidly, very few Notre Dame faculty members would accept from their students the kind of creative reasoning now being used to defend the invitation.
Print53 bishops and over 340,000 Catholics have protested against Notre Dame's invitation to President Obama to give the commencement address and receive an honorary law degree on May 17.
In an email to LifeSiteNews.com, Archbishop Chaput confirmed that he had advised concerned Catholics to make their "disappointment known to Father Jenkins, respectfully and also firmly."
"I very much admire Mary Ann Glendon's decision to decline the Laetare Medal, as well as Bishop John D'Arcy's excellent leadership in this matter," said the Archbishop. "I'm glad so many bishops have expressed their concern."
Chaput also lauded ND alumnus and Wall Street Journal columnist William McGurn's recent comments criticizing the school's "route to incoherence" in a campus event sponsored by Notre Dame's Center for Ethics and Culture. (
Chaput said it was "difficult to imagine any way" the Obama invitation could be justified in light of the U.S. bishops' 2004 document "Catholics in Political Life." The directive states: "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."
"Notre Dame didn't need to do this to show its openness to 'dialogue,'" Chaput continued. "And candidly, very few Notre Dame faculty members would accept from their students the kind of creative reasoning now being used to defend the invitation."
Asked whether he believes that Notre Dame should disinvite President Obama, Chaput replied, "I think the leadership of Bishop D'Arcy is what counts in this matter, as well as that of Cardinal George. I'm happy to follow their counsel."
The bishops who have so far expressed disapproval of Notre Dame's invitation to Obama (in alphabetical order) are:
1. Bishop John D'Arcy - Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN
2. Bishop Samuel Aquila - Fargo, ND
3. Bishop Gregory Aymond - Austin, TX
4. Bishop Gerald Barbarito - Palm Beach, FL
5. Bishop Leonard Blair - Toledo, OH
6. Archbishop Daniel Buechlein - Indianapolis, IN
7. Bishop Robert Baker - Birmingham, AL
8. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz - Lincoln, NE
9. Archbishop Eusebius Beltran - Oklahoma City, OK
10. Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú - San Antonio, TX
11. Archbishop Charles Chaput - Denver, CO
12. Bishop Paul Coakley - Salina, KS
13. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo - Houston, TX
14. Archbishop Timothy Dolan - New York, NY
15. Bishop Thomas Doran - Rockford, IL
16. Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty - Scranton, PA
17. Bishop Robert Finn - Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO
18. Bishop Joseph Galante - Camden, NJ
19. Bishop Victor Galeone - St. Augustine, FL
20. Cardinal Francis George - Chicago, IL; President, USCCB
21. Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger - Evansville, IN
22. Archbishop José Gomez - San Antonio, TX
23. Bishop William Higi - Lafayette, IN
24. Archbishop Alfred Hughes - New Orleans, LA
25. Bishop Peter Jugis - Charlotte, NC
26. Bishop Joseph Latino - Jackson, MS
27. Bishop John LeVoir - New Ulm, MN
28. Bishop Jerome Listecki - La Crosse, WI
29. Bishop William E. Lori - Bridgeport, CT
30. Bishop Paul Loverde - Arlington, VA
31. Bishop George Lucas - Springfield, IL
32. Bishop Robert Lynch - St. Petersburg, FL
33. Bishop Joseph Martino - Scranton, PA
34. Bishop Robert Morlino - Madison, WI
35. Bishop George Murry - Youngstown, OH
36. Archbishop John J. Myers - Newark, NJ
37. Archbishop Joseph Naumann - Kansas City, KS
38. Bishop R. Walker Nickless - Sioux City, IA
39. Archbishop John C. Nienstedt - St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN
40. Archbishop Edwin O'Brien - Baltimore, MD
41. Bishop Thomas Olmsted - Phoenix, AZ
42. Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk - Cincinnati, OH
43. Bishop Glen Provost - Lake Charles, LA
44. Cardinal Justin Rigali - Philadelphia, PA; Chairman, USCCB Pro-Life Committee
45. Bishop Kevin Rhoades - Harrisburg, PA
46. Bishop Alexander Sample - Marquette, MI
47. Bishop Edward J. Slattery - Tulsa, OK
48. Bishop Richard Stika - Knoxville, TN
49. Bishop Anthony Taylor - Little Rock, AR
50. Bishop Robert Vasa - Baker, OR
51. Bishop Thomas Wenski - Orlando, FL
52. Archbishop Donald Wuerl - Washington, D.C.
53. Bishop David Zubick - Pittsburgh, PA
- - -
Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.
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lets all pray for notre dame and for all the baby"s that wont be born because of this
Father Groeschel recently stated on his show Sunday night live there are only 20 catholic colleges and universitys that are authentically catholic in their teaching. May the good Lord have mercy on us all. Why isn't every catholic standing up to defend the sanctitiy of all human life? Obama has pushed us over the edge with his pro-abortion agenda. Stand up and unite, we must pray to end this tragedy in our nation.
I am in agreement with the bishops. My question is why do you continue to run the Notre Dame Online web link. It reads "effectively Influence, Manage & Lead. 100% Online Certification." Nothing about teaching Catholic values. It may be time for all Catholics to begin distancing themselves from Notre Dame.
Why haven't all of the US bishops joined in unison to oppose Jenkins farcical justification? It is a sad state of affairs in the Church when the bishops can't unite in a remotely timely manner on one of the cornerstones of our faith or even defend their own united principle. The silent ones are no better than our empty-suited "pro-choice catholic" politicians. Teh bishops should have acted swiftly and in unison. Their trinkle-in opposition reflects weakness of their faith.
As for Notre Dame, my money and my loyalty went right out the out the window with my respect and admiration. And just to cap it off, 2009 will be the year I don't even watch ND football. I'm done.
I'm so happy to have Archbishop Chaput as my Shepherd. To bad their isn't a Bishop from California on the list. Every Hail Mary we say cries against Obama being hailed as a hero on a Catholic Campus. "Blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus." Every womb need God's precious Mercy and Love not the U.S. dollar to kill and destroy.
Well what are all the other Bishops thinking.. or not!. I have emailed our Bishop Barnes in San Bernardino California 4 times and no answer yet. Nor has he added his name to the list of Very Wonderful Bishops who have. What are you saying by remaning silent. Be Strong! Speak out! It is only God you are showing your respect for when you do!
Talk about creative reasoning, This stuff about not being able to voice our opinions on these immoral wars, weapons of mass distruction, a leader who could barely put two sentences together, the state of the economy because of greed, the bashing of immigrants, the demonizeing of islam, the pillaging of the poor countries thruogh the IMF and world bank, the torture of prisoners, the violations of the constitution, the support for Isrial during the Gaza crime against humanity, and on & on, because abortion trumps all these issues (even though the guy we were supposed to vote for could really care less about turning over roe vs wade). That. That is creative reasoning.
Which Bishops have not weighed in on the matter? Don't their flocks need to know where they stand?
Not to be cynical, just realistic.
This whole flap is only a result of the university’s attempt to promote itself as a top of the line if not the Cadillac of progressive liberal Catholic thinking in America. The higher education industry in this country is very competitive. Academics compete for superstars just like football and basketball coaches. The athletes are awarded scholarships and appear on the fields and courts. Dignitaries are awarded “honorary” degrees and appear on stage.
Fr. Jenkins simply looks upon ND as a valid competitor in this expanding industry and its thirst and appetite for new ideas to ponder and promote for society. The thinking is you can’t survive here if you aren’t “open” to all areas of “intellectual thought”. Obama’s an Ivy Leaguer man and now the top gun! Get him!
So you operate like the casinos in Los Vegas, you book the top acts and stars of the day and parade them for all potential “customers”. And just like Vegas the stakes are high but the “payoff” in profits can be enormous. It was a gamble but ND could be getting its own version of Obama’s Bailout Program.
Bishop Darcy nailed it when he said ND was seeking "prestige over principles".
Hopefully, these Notre Dame graduates who oppose this visit will send their charitable donations to institutions that are faithful to the Church. Has anyone turned in their season football tickets yet? If we are Catholic, we need to do so in all of our actions. We need to not only talk Catholic and think Catholic, but also to ACT Catholic.
Bob Laird, Executive Director
Divine Mercy Care
Transforming the Culture in Health Care
www.divinemercycare.org